Count Your Lucky Stars
by xxMonkeyPunkxx
Summary: First fic. Dally has a little sister! But she is hiding a dark secret. Will Dally and the rest of the gang be able to figure out what it is? Angst later in the story. Flames are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Full Summary: Dally has a little sister, Jamie, who moves from New York to Tulsa with her far from great foster parents. After reuniting with his kid sister, things seem to be going great. But there are dark secrets that Jamie is hiding. Secrets that, if kept hidden for too long, could possibly kill her. Can Dally find out what his sister is hiding before her life is suddenly cut short? (Takes place before the book)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does. If I did, my life would totally

rock!

Dally's POV

I was sitting in front of the Chief of Police for what was probably the sixth time this month. Surprisingly, I wasn't put under arrest when I was brought here. Two cops just stopped me on the street and asked me if I could get into the car because the C.o. P. wanted to have a word with me. I did what they asked, mainly because he never wanted to talk to me unless he absolutely had to.

"Glad you could make it Dallas," Donald Ryeback said to me. Donald Ryeback was the Chief of Police. But because we are on such "close terms" with each other, I call him Don.

"What do ya want Don? You could of just called if you wanted to spend some time with me. My weekend is completely open."

"Stop being a smart alec Winston. I have some news that you just might want to hear." Don replied shortly.

"Oh yeah, and what might that be?"

"You have a sister."

I was surprised, to say the least. A sister? I don't remember ever having a sister. But now that I think about it, I do remember hanging out with some girl when I was still living in New York. Could that be her?

"Her and her foster parents are moving here from New York. Since both of her parents work long hours, I expect you to keep an eye on her. That should keep you out of

here for a while. I don't want to see one of my officers bring you in during the next few weeks. Otherwise, I will personally make sure that your sister finds someone to watch her until the day she turns eighteen."

"Yeah, yeah. Anything else you need to tell me or can I leave?"

"Her name is Jamie and she's fourteen. She will be arriving in about a week, so I will have you come back here the day before she comes so you will know exactly what I expect you to do." Don said. I nodded my head and left. I needed time to think. I headed towards Buck's because I was in dire need of a drink.

--A week later --

I was waking to the address that Don gave me yesterday. He said that I wasn't allowed to beat the tar out of her, give her any alcohol, leave her stranded anywhere, let her hang out with any of the Shepards by herself, or let her smoke. I told him that almost everybody smokes in Greaser territory, and I wouldn't be surprised if she had already picked up the habit. After much debate, he let the last one slide.

Jamie's POV

I had finally settled into my new house. My foster parents made me move with them to some place called Tulsa in Oklahoma. That was pretty much considered the middle of nowhere compared to New York. I had plenty of friends back there, all of which would have been more than glad to let me stay with them. But _no_, I had to move here.

I was plenty tired from the long ride last night. But that didn't stop my foster parents from making me unpack all of my belongings. I was up until almost 2 am trying to put everything in its place. I was surprised when they didn't make me unpack all of the other boxes too. I guess they wanted me to have enough strength to do all of that in the next few days.

Last night, they told me that someone was going to be watching me during the day so I don't run off again. See, my foster parents aren't the greatest people. My "mom" works as a stripper for the local bar where my "dad" bartends. He usually ends up drinking half of what he serves. He also has a second job selling illegal drugs. So you can imagine why I run away.

I was sitting on the couch watching TV when someone knocked at the door. I got up and opened it to see a boy standing there. He was about seventeen, with white blonde hair that fell over his forehead in wisps and kicked out in the back in tufts. It curled behind his ears and along the nape of his neck. I could help but think about how much he resembled me.

"You Jamie?" he asked me, not moving from his spot in the doorway.

"Yeah" I answered back.

"Well I'm here to baby sit ya while your parents are working."

"Great, just another jerk to ignore me while he gets paid." I mumbled under my breath. I really wasn't in the mood for some guy to come in here and watch TV while I sat there doing nothing until my 'parents' got home.

"Well, come on then. We haven't got all day to bum around. I got things to do." I nodded silently and turned off the TV. As I was walking back outside, the guy was staring intently at me. In all truth, it was starting to freak me out.

"What are you looking at?" I questioned.

"The house." He answered simply. I shook my head and started walking down the street.


	2. Chapter 2

Dally's POV

God, I couldn't believe how much the kid looked like me. Same white blonde hair, same ice blue eyes. She even had the same smirk I did! As I was walking down the steps, I noticed that Jamie started turning right instead of left. "Where do ya think you're going?" I called out to her.

"Wherever it is you're going, I guess."

"Well we gotta go left, not right." She immediately turned around and started walking beside me. We were probably walking for about five minutes in uncomfortable silence before I decided that it was time to let her know who I was.

"I just wanted to let you know," I started." That I ain't gonna let anything bad happen to you while I'm around, you dig?"

"Why would you care about what happens to me? My parents probably just paid you off to make sure I don't head back to New York."

"Hey, it's not like that. If you were just some stupid broad that I was paid to watch, I would have made you stay in the house or something while I was off doing what I wanted. But I ain't about to let my kid sister get jumped by socs if I can help it."

"Wait. How can you be my older brother if I'm an only child?"

"I guess they never told you about me. In fact, I don't blame them." Jamie gave me a quizzical look."Frankly, I wouldn't want my sister; you were probably about nine, knowing that her older brother is a hood." She nodded, but I could see that she probably wouldn't have cared either way back then.

We continued walking when we came upon a white run-down kind of house, the Curtis house. Before we went through the gate, I stopped and turned to face my kid sister. "Listen," I said. "When we get into the house, I ain't gonna be as 'brotherly' to you as I am now .I got a rep. to keep up and I ain't gonna wreck it cuz I'm being all lovey-dovey to you. Got it?" She nodded her head and we made our way into the Curtis house.

"Hey Dally." Someone called out as we came in through the door. I could almost see the surprised look on Jamie's face because we went in without knocking.

"Hey Soda," I said, and went to go sit on the couch. Jamie followed close behind and sat next to me.

"Hey Dal, who's the broad," Two-Bit asked from in front of the TV. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the couch that Jamie and I were sitting on. No one noticed her sneak in behind me, until now.

Two-Bit stood up and cautiously made his way to us, unsure if he was allowed to hit on the blonde sitting at my side. "My sister," I stated shortly. Two-Bit stopped dead in his tracks, staring wide-eyed between me and Jamie.

"Since when did you have a sister Dally?" Steve asked from his place at the table, where he was sitting across from Soda.

"Since last week. Don dragged me in and told me that I now had to look out for some kid sister I didn't know I had."

Everyone was still staring at us, almost never blinking. Although I would never admit it, they were starting to freak me out. Two-Bit snapped out of his trance and sat down beside Jamie, a wide grin present on his face.

"I'm Two-Bit. Two-Bit Matthews. And those two bums over there are Sodapop Curtis and Steve Randle. Soda's the one with the one with the plaid shirt on and Steve's the one with the jean vest and the freaky hair." Steve shot Two-Bit a death glare which he chose to ignore. "Johnny Cade and Ponyboy, Soda's kid brother, are out somewhere, and Darry, Soda's older brother, is at work."

Jamie nodded shyly and scooted closer to me, clearly freaked out by the over-eccentric eighteen year old.

"Hey, what your name kid," Soda asked, getting up and joining us by the couch. Steve stayed where he was. It almost looked like he was debating whether or not he should come over too. Jamie looked over at me, almost as if I was going to say her name for her. I nudged her, indicating that she was going to say her name herself, or no one would find out.

"Jamie. Jamie Carmichael Winston."

"Ahhhh! She speaks!" Two-Bit cried out, throwing his hands into the air. Jamie jumped a little, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Nice to meet you Jamie," Soda said looking straight into her eyes. I could see Jamie blushing, but what girl wouldn't if Sodapop Curtis looked them straight in their eyes. All of a sudden, the door opened, and in walked Pony and Johnnycakes. They stopped when they saw Jamie surrounded by us, minus Steve.

"Who's she," Pony asked, studying the girl next to me.

"Dally's kid sister, Jamie," Steve said from the table.

"Oh. Well I'm Ponyboy, you can call me Pony for short, and this here is Johnny." Jamie mustered a small wave, gaining confidence.

"Hey Soda, we got any chocolate cake left," Pony asked as he made his way into the kitchen."

"I don't think so Pone, but I'll be happy to make some." We all told him to get in the kitchen and start baking. It seemed only Pony and Darry had a problem with Soda's extra sweet cake. The rest of us couldn't get enough of it. We only thought twice about eating when he made when he added strange colors or mixed things that weren't meant to be mixed. Like cheese and pickles.

I had a feeling that Soda was going to show off his vibrant color scheme on the cake, to show off for Jamie. I caught Soda's eyes twinkling with excitement before he went to work on the cake. This was going to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie's POV

I was beginning to see why Dally hung out with these guys. Sure, they were a bit crazy, but what could I expect to see from a band of teenage boys as close as brothers. Not to mention that three of them were brothers.

"Hey Jamie, I'm gonna see what Soda's doing in the kitchen. You can stay here and talk with Pony and Johnnycakes if you want." Dally got up and left me to talk with two boys that I didn't even know. They looked to be a lot safer than that Two-Bit guy, so I figured that they were okay.

The two boys walked over to were I was sitting and sat on either side of me. "So, your Dally's little sister, huh?" Pony said to me.

"Yeah."

"That's tuff," Johnny said quietly.

"What," I asked. I had no idea of what tuff meant.

"Well," Pony began. "Tuff is like cool and tough is like rough." I tossed a questioning look his way. Right now, what he was saying was making no sense to me. He grabbed a piece a paper, wrote down the two words, and explained it to me again.

"Oh, I get it now," I said.

"So, what is everybody here like," I asked. I wanted to get to know everybody here A.S.A.P.

"Well, I like to daydream a lot and read books and watch sunsets and stuff. Johnny here is pretty quiet, but he likes the country and really admires your brother. Soda is happy-go-lucky and pretty care free, but he can turn into a raging bull of you seriously screw up or someone does something to hurt one of us. Steve, Soda's best buddy, is kind of cold sometimes and doesn't like us 'kids' hanging around with him and Soda when they go out. But he'll stick up for any of us around the socs. Two-Bit, as you've probably already seen, is the jokester of the gang. He can't keep his two bits to himself, hence his name. He's obsessed with Mickey Mouse and gets drunk a lot. And my oldest brother, Darry, is hardworking and extremely protective of me. On school nights, I can hardly get out of the house. Other than that, I can be out till midnight."

"What about my brother?"

"What about him?"

"What's my brother like?" I saw Pony and Johnny exchange glances. Then Pony sighed and started talking.

"Your brother is one of a kind, Jamie. He's got a police record a mile long, and a cold tough attitude to match. Name something, and he's probably already done it. He goes around trying to break the law, just to show that he can. He can hold his own in a fight, but he won't let anything happen to us." I nodded my head in understanding. This bit of information was interesting. Very interesting.

Before long, the cake was finished. The three of us got up from the couch and made our way to the kitchen to get some cake. Sure enough, the chocolate cake was sitting on the counter, already sliced. But for some reason, it looked kind of, I don't know, different. "Soda, not again," Pony wailed.

"What? I think it looks great," Soda said. Upon closer examination, I realized that instead of the chocolate frosting being brown, it was bright orange. It wasn't until then that I also noticed that the cake wasn't the right color either. Instead of brown, it was a pale blue.

"Nice cake Soda," I said, grabbing a precut slice. "Great color combination." Everyone turned and looked at me in awe. "What?"

"You're not the least bit freaked out by eating strange color cake," Two-Bit asked.

"Nope."

"Well all right then. Everybody, dig in!" Soda shouted. I made my way to the table and sat down. A few moments later, Steve came and sat down next to me.

"I just figured that now would be a good of time as any to get to know you." I nodded, signaling for him to go on. "So what are your favorite hobbies?" I shrugged. "Anything you like doing?" I shrugged again. "Say something, Jamie."

"Something."

"Smart ass."

"Thank you."

Steve laughed. "You're one of a kind, Jamie. One of a kind."

"Hey Jamie," Dally called from the kitchen.

"What?"

"I'm going out for a while. You stay here until I come back. Got it?"

"Sure." Dally walked out the door and down the street. I was a bit annoyed that he was ditching me the first day we meet, but I figured that was all just part of his precious reputation.

"So, what do you guys wanna do," Two-Bit asked, taking a swig of his beer. Everyone just shrugged. Then someone, I think it was Soda, call out football. All the guys started whooping and yelling, save for Pony and Johnny. Pony was laughing and Johnny was just kind of smiling. "Come on, Jamie," Johnny said quietly. I stood up and followed the guys to an old abandoned lot.

"K, Soda, Steve, you two are captains. Can't have secret plots going on during the game." The two friends moved away from the group and tossed a coin to see who would pick first. Steve won.

"Okay, I'll pick Pony." Pony walked over to where Steve was standing.

"I'll pick Johnny."

"Let's see here, I'll go with Jamie."

"Then I guess I have Two-Bit." We walked over to one side of the lot and huddled up.

"Okay guys, we need a game plan," Steve said.

"Does the other team have any weaknesses," I asked.

"Yeah, Soda's the only fair runner on their team. Two-Bit can't run to save his life and Johnny is just slow," Pony said.

"Ok, then I think I have a plan," I said.

Because our team had the great runners, we won 18-12. It turns out that Pony can run pretty fast. He's probably on the track team. Steve isn't as fast, but that guy can catch! As for me, I'm an average runner and I catch the ball most of the time.

On our way back to the Curtis house, I found a pretty nice pocket knife. It had a metallic blue handle with a silver line running the length of each side of it. The blade was still sharp too. I pocketed it right away. I didn't need any of the guys getting on my case about it. I didn't know if the girls around here carried blades, but I didn't want to find out right now.

By the time we got home, Darry was sitting in his armchair, reading the paper. "Hey guys. I was just about to start dinner. And- oh, who's this," he asked looking straight at me.

"I'm Dally's sister, Jamie."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. Staying here until he gets back?"

"Yep."

"That's fine. If he isn't back tonight, you can sleep in Soda's old room or on the couch, your preference."

"Okay, thanks Darry." Darry just nodded before going into the kitchen to make dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all you Outsiders fans out there reading this! I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far...**_darkdestiny2000 - BlackWiltedRose - IAmOnlyMe - ringbearingreasergal - Maddiecake - and soda'sgirl. _**If I haven't answered you reviews yet, I will get around to it somethime in the next two days. That goes for everyone who messages me within the next two days as well. After that, I will start putting replies in my updates, right before the story and disclaimer, like some people do. Well enjoy this new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Sorery I didn't do it for the last two chapters, but here it is. I, xxMonkeyPunkxx, do not own the Outiders. I wish I did, but I don't. I only own Dally's wicked cool sister Jamie.**

* * *

Dally's POV

"Thanks Tim," I said as I got back into the car.

"No problem Dally. Anytime." I nodded and drove off. I had just finished talking to Tim about my sister. He agreed to keep an eye on her, and she could stay at his place anytime. But I don't think that Jamie's going to be staying there for a while. She still needs to get used to this place and Tim's is not the place to do it.

I drove around aimlessly for what seemed like hours. I knew that I should be getting back to Jaime, but I wanted to enjoy a little freedom before I was condemned to watch her until the day she turned eighteen. Not that I didn't want to watch her, I just didn't want to spend all of my free time with her.

It wasn't until this moment that I realized where I was. I was at the very edge of greaser territory. Just as I was backing up, five soc cars surrounded me. I knew that I could normally fight my out of a tough situation, but the odds weren't in my favor, thirteen to one. The socs all got out of their fancy little cars to try and beat the tar out of me. Big mistake. I jammed my foot on the gas pedal and flew back, nearly running over a few of them. They didn't even bother to follow me.

I finally decided that I should go back. I could see the sun setting through my rear view mirror. I had never really taken the time to look at one. I pulled over to the side of the road to watch it for a while. I had to admit that it was a beautiful sight, but I didn't see why Pony watched it every night like it was some kind of movie.

Suddenly, I got a tugging sensation in my stomach. 'Don't tell me I'm going soft now' I thought to myself. Just then, a realization hit me like a Mac truck. I wasn't going soft, something was wrong. I could feel it pulsing through me. Something was wrong with Jamie!

I threw the stick shift into gear and zoomed off towards the Curtis house. Nothing was going to happen to my kid sister if I could help it!

Jamie's POV

Two-Bit was pacing back and forth across the living room floor. The final Mickey Mouse episode of the night had just ended and he was already bored out of his mind. "Hey Darry," he call out.

"What?"

"We gotta do something! All seven of us," Two-Bit exclaimed.

"Sorry Buddy, but some of us actually have to work tomorrow," Darry said, not bothering to look up from the dishes.

"Fine, then I'm taking these three kids to a movie!"

"Fine Two-Bit, just get them back sometime before midnight." Two-Bit mock saluted Darry before dragging the three of us out the door and down the street.

We were about halfway to the drive-in when two Mustangs pulled up beside us. Two-Bit pulled me behind him and told me to stay close. I didn't see what the big deal was. So what, some guys needed directions or just wanted to talk or something. There was no need to hide me from them. Or was there?

The cars stopped and the occupants got out. There were about nine guys dressed in madras shirts and pants that only came up to the top of their ankles. "Hey greasers," one of them said. "What are you doing walking on the streets without the rest of your pathetic group?"

"You better watch it soc, you're outta your territory. You never know when some of my buddies who hang around here will come along," Two-Bit shot back.

"Trust me Grease, no one's around to save you this time." Then they started advancing on us. Pretty soon, they had us completely surrounded. I was still stuck behind Two-Bit. He wouldn't let me out from behind him. Before I knew it, one of the socs threw a punch and Two-Bit pushed me aside so that he could fend of the guys that were coming at him. This proved to be a very bad idea. Now that I wasn't hidden behind Two-Bit, the socs could easily see me.

"He look Dan, there's a grease chick here too. I think I'm gonna have some fun," a tall muscular soc said to one of his buddies.

"I think I'll help you hold her down. Then maybe I can give her a try," Dan said. The first guy nodded and the two made their way towards me. 'Great,' I thought. 'My first day here and I'm already in a bad position.' I tried to make a run for it, but the two socs were faster and stronger than I was. Then had me pinned down in about five seconds flat.

I struggled with all my might, but I was no match for them. The muscular guy was starting to kiss me, but luckily I got me knee up and hit him where it hurts. He let go of me and Dan went to see if his friend was okay. I took this as my chance to get up. I scrambled to my feet, but quickly hit the ground again. Dan had grabbed my ankles and made sure that I didn't go anywhere. Then I saw the muscular guy looming over me. He kneeled down to my level and slugged me in the gut. "That'll teach you to mess with me."

Then, both of the socs started punching and kicking me. I could hear a car speeding up the road. It skidded to a stop in front of the fight and I heard a car door slam. Dan was quickly thrown off of me and the other guy stopped to see who it was that ruined his fun.

He was greeted with a punch in the face. It looked up and saw Dally beating the tar out of the guy, an enraged look on his face. He was calling him every name in the book, and then some. When the other socs saw that Dally was here and that he was pissed, they all ran back to their cars for fear of being the one at the receiving end of one of his punches.

Dally finally stopped long enough for the soc to get up and run to his car. Once they were a safe distance away, Dally turned his attention to me. He kneeled down to me and looked me over. I was wondering how bad I looked. All I knew was that I had a headache and I was in pain in a few different places.

"Jesus Christ," Dally mumbled, looking me over again. I stared at him blankly, not knowing how serious the injuries were. He stood up and held his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up. "Get in the car Jamie. I'm going to check on the other guys, and then we're going to the Curtis". I nodded and did as I was told. I climbed into the front seat of Buck's red T-Bird and looked in the mirror. From what I could see, I had a nice shiner and some other well placed bruises on my face.

Then the car door opened and Dally, along with Pony, Johnny, and Two-Bit, got in. I turned around to see how badly they were hurt. Pony had a cut along his right cheek and a bruise on the side of his eyes. Johnny had a scrape along his chin and bruises along his arms. Two-Bit was the worst off. He had a shiner and a whole lot of other bruises that cover his torso. His shirt was shredded along one side and had a blood stain in it. Two-Bit noticed me staring at the blood wound and told me that a soc pulled a blade on him, but it only grazed the skin. He already checked. Before I knew it, Dally was pulling up in front of the Curtis house.

We all got out of the car and filed into the house. Darry was reading the paper and Soda and Steve were arm wrestling at the table. When the door closed, they all stopped what they were doing. No one moved. Finally, the silence was broken by Darry. "Soda, get me the bandages and the rubbing alcohol. Steve, go grab a towel and run it under hot water and bring it to me." The two boys got up and went to get what Darry asked them to.

"Now, would someone like to explain what happened here," Darry asked in a serious but worried tone. "Well, I was taking them to the movies, just like I said I would, when we ran into some socs. They surrounded us and started beating up on us. I was trying to hold off four of them and Pony and Johnny were fighting off three. The other two ganged up on Jamie. We were struggling until Dally showed us and they ran off. Then he drove us here where we met all you fine people," Two-Bit said. Darry nodded and took the stuff from Soda and Steve. He tended to Two-Bit first, then Pony, Johnny and me.

Dally was leaning up against the wall watching Darry. He had a cold look on his face and refused to come over to the rest of us. Once Darry was done, he suggested that we all get some sleep, since it was pretty late. I walked over to Dally, assuming that he was going to be taking me home. He nodded at me and was about to head out the door when the phone

rang. Darry got up and answered it. "Hello?" He nodded a few times before holding the phone to his shoulder. "Jamie, it's for you," he said. I stopped and walked slowly over to where Darry was standing. I took the phone from him and held it up to me ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ms. Winston?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to inform you that your foster parents have been killed in a fatal car accident. I will be at your house in about a week's time to collect you and your things. You will be moved into a girls' home until we can find you another foster family. Good day."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everybody! I decided to update early since i have chapter 8 written. You see, I like to be ahead of myself so I have somethingto post on wwekends, instead of it being freakish short. I 'm also in a good mood because I'm listening to Christmas songs. YOu could say I'm having my own Christmas in July. haha. Well, enjoy chapter 5! **

Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders. S.E. Hinton does. I really really wish I did, but I don't. I only own Jamie, which in my opinion, is one of the coolest characters in my fic.

* * *

I stood there speechless. I didn't even bother to hang up the phone.

"Jamie, you okay," Soda asked. I nodded, but didn't move from my place by the phone. I couldn't believe it. My foster parents were dead. Sure, I didn't like them, but they gave me a place to eat, a roof over my head, and clothes on my back. Now that they were gone, where would I go? I guess that I would be put into the system for a few years. People don't seem to want to adopt teenagers as much as little kids.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. Soda was standing behind me, a worried look on his face. "Jamie, what's wrong," he asked, studying my face. I shook my head and made my way to the door.

"Where are you going," Steve asked.

"Home."

"Why? You can stay here," Pony said.

"I need to pack."

"And where do you think you're going," Dally asked me, almost showing a hint of worry in his voice.

"A girls' home." Everyone just stared at me.

Suddenlyeveryone shouted"What!" (**a/n: I started cracking up when I wrote that)**

I nodded solemnly. Now that I thought about it, I might never see the gang or my brother again. I lowered my head so no one could see the tears that were threatening to spill out of my eyes. "What happened Jamie," Darry asked softly. I told them about the phone call and how the person didn't seem to feel sorry for me at all. They stood/sat there speechless. I didn't know what I was feeling at the moment. It was kind of like a mixture of sadness, happiness, confusion, and worry.

Suddenly, Darry stood up from his chair and went over to the phone. He dialed a number and then started talking in hushed whisper. We all started looking at each other in confusion. Soda got up and tried to see who Darry was talking to and about what. Darry just shot him a warning glance and he sat back down. A few minutes later, Darry hung up the phone and sat back down. "Jamie, go pack all of your things." I just stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about. "Go get your things so you can start putting them in Soda's old room."

"Darry, are- are you sure?" He just nodded. "Oh, thanks Darry," I shouted as I ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"But there's one condition." I nodded, signaling for him to continue. "The state doesn't like that fact that you're going to be living here with three guys. So for the next moth, they will require you to go down to the police station and tell them about all that's been happening. Like how we're treating you and if you like it or not and all that stuff."

"No problem Dar. Thanks." He nodded and tugged me off of him.

**--two weeks later—**

Dally's POV

I was walking home from my date with Sylvia when I saw Jamie, Pony, and Johnny sitting in the lot. I didn't want to interrupt them, so I decided to just walk past them, to see what they were doing. I stopped when I heard Johnny's amazed voice.

"Where'd you get it from Jamie?"

"I found it on the ground on the way back from playing football the first day that I came here."

"Really," asked Pony. "It seems in pretty good condition for someone to just leave it there."

"I think that maybe someone dropped it," Jamie said.

"Well either way, it's a nice blade you got there Jamie," Pony said.

"Yeah, just don't let Dal find out about it." That was Johnny. WHAT! Why the hell does Jamie have a blade on her? And why did she keep it a secret for two weeks! I couldn't contain myself any longer and I marched over to where they were sitting.

"Too late Johnnycakes," I growled as I glared over at Jamie. "You. Get you ass to the Curtis'."

"But Dal-"

"Now!" Jamie hung her head low and walked past me towards the Curtis house. "You two might wanna stay here for a while." The two boys nodded and started talking among themselves.

I turned and caught up with Jamie, who looked as if she would start crying at any second. But I didn't care at the moment. I didn't care if she started crying, even though Lord knows I hate it when girls cry. And I didn't care that Don didn't say about her not having a switch. No kid sister of mine was going to be carrying something around that could get her killed.

When we reached the Curtis', I took her by her upper arm and dragged her into the house with me.

"Hey Dally, what's up," Steve asked from the couch.

"Nothing," I snapped. I was in a hell of a mood. "Where's Darry?"

"At work. Why?"

"Fine. Then maybe you can talk some sense into this kid before I beat the tar outta her."

"What'd she do?" I picked up the blade that she left sitting in the grass and tossed it to Steve.

"Tell him how you got it Jamie." She shook her head. "I said tell him," trying to keep my voice down while I was around Steve. I knew how his father was and I didn't want to make him feel bad about it.

"I picked it up."

"Where?"

"At the park the day we played football." Steve sighed and shook his head, clearly disappointed at her.

"You don't just picking up things that you find lying around Jamie, especially blades. You could end up getting killed is some soc found you with it. You dig?" She nodded.

I couldn't understand how Steve could be so calm about this! I almost had a cow when I found out. Maybe it's because I'm her brother and I fell the need to protect her more than the rest of the gang.

"Jamie, go to your room. I'll be there in a minute," I said softly. She slumped off to Soda's old room which was now hers. I ran a hand through my ungreased hair and slumped down in Darry's armchair.

"You okay there Dally?"

"I don't know Steve. I mean, I've been a tough hood for most of my life, so why am I turning soft now man?"

"You're not turning soft Dal; you're just concerned about you kid sister. Hell, I would be too if I had to look after her. But looking after both you guys and keeping you rep., if anything, made you tougher. Not many hoods can do that."

"I think that I'm going to talk to Jamie. See ya later Steve." Steve nodded and went back to watching TV. I made my way to Jamie's room and knocked softly on the door.

"What!"

"Jamie, I need to talk to you." A moment later, the door opened to reveal Jamie walking back to her bed and laying down on it, her face buried in the pillow. "Look at me," I said gently; hoping that the kind approach would work. I t didn't. "Jamie, I said look at me," I said more sternly. She rolled over and sat up, staring inquisitively at me. "Listen kid, I didn't mean to holler at you like that. I just don't wanna see those damn socs kill you cuz you're carryn' a blade, you dig?"

"Ya Dal, I dig."

"Good. Now how about we go grab a bite to eat at the Dingo?"

"Sounds great."

_**Pony's POV**_

Dally had just left with Jamie when Johnny and I got to talking.

"What's the matter Johnny? You look kinda spaced."

"I'm just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"Dally."

"What about him?"

"Just how he was yellin' at Jamie and all. I mean, if he will lash out like that on his kid sister, what's to say he won't go all out on us, huh?"

"I don't know Johnny. But I figure that the only reason he yelled at Jamie was because he was worried about her. I mean, if you had a younger sister that you had to look out for all the time, wouldn't you be mad if she had a blade that she was hiding from you?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just don't know Pone, anything can happen." I just nodded to myself. Johnny made a good point. Just because he yelled at Jamie because he was worried about her, doesn't mean that he's not gonna yell at us for getting on his bad side.

I lay down on the soft grass and looked at the darkening sky. I had so many unanswered questions about Dallas; I thought my head would explode. But, I guess that's the thing about him. He doesn't show his emotions, which keeps you guessing about him. I suppose that if you knew all there is to know about him, he would seem to be a sort of boring person.

"We better get going Pony; you know how Darry is about us staying out and skipping dinner."

"Ok Johnny, let's go," I said standing up and brushing the grass and dirt off the back of my jeans. A cool breeze cut through the air and made the hair on my arms stand on end. I rubbed my hands on my arms, trying to warm up. 'Just like me to forget a jacket' I thought to myself.


	6. Chapter 6

Dally-luver I 'm glad you like the story so far. There's still more to come!

Pappy's Girl It's good to know you love it. I'm happy that you feel that way!

darkdestiny2000 Thanks. I really didn't concentrate too much on what he was saying until you pointed it out. And you're right, he does make some good points!

Maddiecake Thanks. I'm glad you liked chapter 5!

**Disclaimer: I don't own the outsiders! If I did, they would be another movie and book, and Johnny and Dally wouldn't have died!**

****

_**Dally's POV**_

--the next day—

Last night, I took Jamie out to eat at the Dingo. Nothing really happened. We both kind of sat there in awkward silence. Not that it was uncomfortable for me; I was too busy checking out hot broads to really notice. Afterwards we walked back to the Curtis' and I left her there so I could go to Buck's.

Darry always said that I was more than welcome to crash at his place, but I felt more at home at Buck's. Anyway, I woke up this morning with a killer headache. When I opened my eyes, I immediately closed them because the sun made my head pound harder. Outside, I could hear a car door slam a few voices shouting at each other, swearing. 'God,' I thought. 'Why do people have to be so loud in the morning?'

I rolled off the bed and made my way to the hallway. I staggered down the stairs and went into the kitchen and made myself a cup of coffee. Now, normally, I wouldn't even touch the stuff. But it was the only thing I would drink when I woke up with a serious hangover. Sometimes, if it wasn't too bad, I could make it without anything. But this one was a killer. I must have drunk three or four cups before I went back up to my room.

I got changed into a pair of jeans and a black shirt before throwing on my brown leather jacket. I put on socks and shoes and went outside to where Buck's T-Bird was waiting for me. Ignoring the pounding in my head (caused by the sunlight) I drove to Darry's to snag a piece of chocolate cake before Two-Bit ate it all. He had a tendency of doing that.

I parked the car and walked in the house, hoping that there was still some food left. Today must have been my lucky day.

"Hey Dal, why don't you come get a piece of cake before Two-Bit gets here," Soda said from the kitchen. I did just that. Sitting at the table was Jamie, still clad in her pajamas and bed head. She was staring at the wall, almost as if she wasn't full awake yet.

Johnny must have noticed me staring at her because he said, "She's been like that for almost an hour. It's easy to see she's definitely not a morning person." I nodded in agreement and looked at the clock. I was surprised when I saw that it was about 7:30 am.

I wasn't usually up this early.

It was just then that I realized that I never actually talked to Jamie about her newly acquired possession. I had Steve talk to her for me. I figured that I would talk to her about it later. I didn't want her walking around with that thing. So that meant that I needed to find a way for her to hand it over to me.

Suddenly, Jamie got up and announced "I'm going to take a shower" just as Two-Bit walked through the door.

"Can I join you," he asked, grabbing a beer out of the fridge. I shot him my trademark glare and he grinned sheepishly at me. Jamie giggled slightly before heading to her room to gather her shower things and a change of clothes.

_**Jamie's POV**_

I slipped into the shower and let the hot water cascade down my body. I rolled my neck around, trying to get all the kinks out of it. As I was washing my hair, I caught the sight of a ray of sunlight hitting my razor. The thought of cutting popped into my head. I had never done it, but I figured that if things got really bad, I would try it.

Once I was done with everything, I got changed into a light pair of torn jeans and a white slightly loose t-shirt that said 'Elvis' on it. I combed my hair and decided to put it up into a messy bun. I walked out of the bathroom and put my things in my room. When I came out, I saw Dally on the couch, watching Two-Bit watch Mickey on TV.

I went over to Dally and sat next to him. He didn't even acknowledge me. "Dally?"

"What," He somewhat growled.

"Do you hate me," I asked in an almost whisper. Lately it seemed like he was leaving me at the Curtis' so that he could be on his own. It seemed like he didn't want to be near me. Like I disgusted him or something. He turned to me and stared right into my eyes.

"No," he said before turning back towards the TV. I sighed to myself. This is what I was afraid of. The first person who seems to actually care about me really doesn't care about me at all. He only cares about himself, and maybe Johnny.

"Well it seems like you do," I said before getting up, slipping on my flip-flops, and walking out the front door. I was hoping that he wouldn't follow me. I needed time to think. Yet, at the same time, I wanted him to follow me so I knew that he actually care about his baby sister. I walked to the nearby park and sat down on a swing. I felt like crying. I don't know why, but I did. But I knew that if someone saw me like this, I would be called a crybaby or something along those lines. And I really didn't feel like being called names right now, so I held my tears back.

Approaching footsteps brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Curly Shepard standing in front of me. Me and him had met last week and we had become good friends. We weren't as close like I was to Pony and the rest of the gang, but we were friends.

"You okay there Winston," he asked, looking me straight in the eyes. I nodded and looked towards the ground, embarrassed that he saw me looking upset. Then he sat on the swing next to mine and stared at me, hoping that I would tell him what was on my mind.

I looked up at him, being able to almost feel his question probing into my mind. "I don't want to talk about it. Not here at least."

"Well, then why don't we go to my house and you can tell me what's got my little car so upset." I nodded and got up, following Curly to his house. 'Little Car' was the nickname that he gave me the first time I met him. He liked my middle name (Carmichael), and I was the youngest of the group and Dally's little sister. I was younger than Pony by about two months.

When we got to his house, he led me to the couch that was sitting in the living room. Tim must have heard the door open and close because he came walking into the living room from the kitchen. "Hey kid," he said to me.

"Hi Tim," I said.

"Listen Tim, she's got something on her mind right now and I think she would be more comfortable talkin' to me about it." Tim nodded and made his way back to the kitchen.

"Hey Tim," I said. He stopped walking and faced me. "If my brother comes looking for me, can you not tell him I'm here."

"Sure kid. But you might want to head upstairs then. It's not going to make a good cover story if he sees ya sittin right there and I'm tellin him you're not here. Got it?" I nodded and followed Curly up the stairs and to his room.

"So you mind telling me what's got you so wound up?"

"Dally hates me."

"No he doesn't Car. He's just a lot on his mind right now."

"Sure," I said skeptically. Since when did Dallas Winston have a lot to think about?

"He does. Listen Car, before you came along, he was one tough hood. He didn't look after anyone but himself, and maybe that Cade kid. "But you came along and your parents died, so now he has to get used to worrying about you too. And he almost has to put you before himself, and he's not used to that."

"I guess so. But he won't even look at me Curly! How am I supposed to believe that he cares about me when he ditches me with the Curtis' every day?"

"What do you mean?"

"Every night, he leaves me to sleep at the Curtis' because he doesn't want me staying at Buck's place. Then he comes in the morning to eat breakfast and then leaves. He hardly says anything to me. So tell me Curly, how do you know that he cares abut me?"

"Well-" He was interrupted by a thumping sound coming from down stairs. Someone was knocking at the door. Quietly as we could, Curly and I snuck to the top of the stairs to hear what was going on. I heard the door open and Tim say something.

"Where the hell is she Tim!" Someone shouted. It sounded exactly like Dally.

"What are you talking about Dallas?"

"You know what I'm taking about! You're hiding Jamie from me! I know that she came here and I want to know where the hell she is!" I started to think that either Dally was going to come barging up here himself, or Tim was going to spill the beans.

"I'm gonna tell it to you straight Dally. Yeah, your sister was here. But she left a while ago. She ain't here no more."

"Then how come I didn't see her leave?"

"She left through the back. Seemed to be under the impression that you hated her or something."

I don't hate her, but when I get my hands on her, I 'm gonna beat the tar out of her!"

"But you said that Don-"

"I don't give shit about what Don says anymore Tim. He wanted me to keep her away from you when I wasn't around; I let her stay here when I'm out. I'm not suppose to beat the tar out of her, but I will when I get my hands on her. I don't feel like going in the cooler just yet, but I'm going to do what I can and hope that I don't get caught. She's just here to keep me out of the cooler for a while."

My breath caught in my throat. Was Dally saying that I was just a way to keep him from going to jail? I sunk to the floor and leaned up against the wall. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I was hoping that I was wrong, but I guess I wasn't. Dally really did hate me.


	7. Chapter 7

**darkdestiny2000 - I liked that part too. It shows that Curly can be more than a hood, he can be a friend (unlike the part in the book were he plays chicken with Pony)**

**rawrrr - Thanks for letting me know how much you liked it. Don't worry Dally doesn't hate her, as shown in the beginning of the chapter - he's just worried.**

**Maddiecake - I know things were a bit fast then. But the beginning was basically a filler for what I was getting to later in the chapter.**

**babygrl:)- Thanks you so much! I feel so special because of your little comment!**

**Blondie 24-7 - Thanks. I'm not going to tell the secret until later in the storythough. So you're just going to have to wait. I didn't want her to start cutting in the beginning, but I kind of had to put that in because it ties in with the secret that she's hiding.**

**er - I really like your idea. To tell you the truth, I had never even thought about that option. I already have an idea with the socs, and it's going to be good! But once I'm done with this story, I plan on making another one, and I will most definately consider your idea as a main part of it.**

_**Dally's POV**_

"You don't mean that," Tim said to me.

"I know I don't. That's just how it went the first day or two. Now I 'm so worried about her I want to beat the tar out of her for worrying me so much," I whispered. Tim nodded, understanding what I was saying. After all, he had a kid brother and a kid sister to look out for.

"Well, I'll be sure to let you know if she comes back."

"Thanks Tim."

"No problem Dally." I walked back to the T-Bird and got in. 'Where the hell was she? If Don found out, not only would I go to jail, someone else would be taking care of her for the next four years. And I couldn't guarantee that it would be the Curtis'.

I drove to Buck's to ask him about Jamie. He said that he hadn't seen her but would keep an eye out for her. After that, I drove around aimlessly, looking for my kid sister. Before she came, I only looked out for myself and Johnny, even though I knew he could take care of himself if he had to. But now that I was looking out for my kid sister, I was worried more about her than I was about Johnnycakes. Mainly because she's a girl and she doesn't really know first hand how bad things can get between us and the socs.

_**Jamie's POV **_

I sat up against the wall, feeling tears spring to my eyes. 'I won't let them out' I thought. 'Not in front of Curly and possibly Tim. Then I heard footsteps climbing up the stairs. I knew it was Tim so I stood up.

"You got him pretty riled up there kid."

"So I heard. Listen Tim, thanks for not telling him I was here. It really means a lot to me."

"No problem. But you probably should go find Dally before he hurts himself.

"You right Tim. Thanks again."

"No problem kid." I went downstairs and out the door. I had no idea which way Dally went. But I figured that, eventually, he would go back to the Curtis'. So, that's probably where I should head. I stuck my hands into my jean pockets and started walking.

After about fifteen minutes, I came to the block that Pony lived on. I took my hands out of my pockets and crossed my arms. As I neared the house, I saw Buck's car sitting in front of the house. 'Great,' I thought. 'Now I'm really going to get it. I was hoping that he would be back for a while.

I walked up the stairs and went through the door. As soon as the gang saw my shoe, they stopped what they were doing and turned towards the door. I didn't want to look at their faces, so I looked at the clock instead. It was 2:05 pm. I didn't realize that I had been gone that long. I figured that it was now or never, so I looked at the faces of the gang. They looked relieved to see me, but none of them spoke. They all just stared at me like I was some kind of freak they took pity on.

'Where's Dally," I asked, not direction the question towards anyone in particular. I had noticed that my brother wasn't part of the still and silent welcoming committee.

"I'll get him," Johnny said. He made his way to my room and knocked on the door. After a moment's pause, he said "It's Johnny". Then he walked in and closed the door. After a minute, Johnny came out, Dally right behind him.

Johnny sat back down on the couch but Dally kept walking towards me, an enraged look on his face. He grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me outside. He brought me to the lot before letting go of me.

"Where in God's name were you Jamie! I went around the whole damn town looking for you! I even drove through Soc territory, hoping you weren't stupid enough to go there!"

"Dal-"

"Shut up! Everything was going perfectly fine before you came! Now I have to watch you 24/7 because you don't use your head!

"But Dal-" That was it. He snapped. I saw the hand go back, but I couldn't move. Fear gripped me so hard that I couldn't breathe. It happened so fast. His hand sprang as if wound on a coil and it made contact with the side of my face. The shock was ten times worse than the pain, even though it hurt like hell. The impact caused the head to spin to the side.

I gingerly touched my stinging cheek. I couldn't believe it. He actually hit me! Slowly, I looked up at my older brother. I didn't see a brother who cared about me or loved me or any of that, even through the guilty and surprised look on his face. All I saw was a hood.

"Jamie I –I didn't mean to," he stuttered, tentatively taking a step towards me. I shook my head and took a step back. "Jamie, you gotta believe me. I really didn't –"

"Didn't what Dally? Didn't mean to hit me! Didn't mean for me to hear everything you said to Tim about just using me to stay out of jail! How can I possibly believe that you didn't mean any of that!" I couldn't stand it any longer, I ran. I ran for all it was worth.

I ran all the way to the Curtis' house, ignoring Dally's shouts for me to come back. I threw open the front door and ran to my room, slamming the door closed and locking it. Seconds later, there was knocking at my door.

"Jamie? Jamie, what's wrong," I heard Soda ask from the other side of my door.

"Leave me alone Soda."

"Jamie, please, let me help," he pleaded. I crept over to the door and leaned up against it.

"I'm sorry Soda, but you can't help me. No one can, not anymore," I said barely above a whisper. I made my way back to my bed and lay down, burying my head in my pillow.

"Jamie! Jamie, let me in! Please! Open the door!" He shouted, hating that I wouldn't let him help me.

--outside Jamie's room—

_**Normal POV**_

Soda kept banging on Jamie's bedroom door, hoping that she would let him in. She didn't. Then the front door opened and Dallas Winston came walking in. He didn't say anything; he just walked over to Darry's armchair and sat down.

"Uhh, Dally," Pony asked. "Are you okay?" Dally sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know Pony, I just don't know." By now, Soda had stopped trying to coax Jamie into letting him in and sat down beside Steve.

"What do you mean you don't know," Soda asked.

"How is she? How's Jamie doin' man," Dally asked Soda, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know Dally, she's pretty upset. What happened?" Silence. "Dally, what happened to her?"

Dally shot up out of his seat and turned to everyone in the room. "You want to know what happened Curtis? You want to know what happened? I hit her!" he yelled. At that precise moment, Two-Bit came walking in the door.

"You what!" Two-Bit yelled.

"Yeah Matthews, I hit her," Dally yelled. In one swift moment, Two-Bit crossed the room and punched Dally square in the jaw.

"You –" Two-Bit then called Dally every name he could come up with. During his friend's rant, Dally sat back down and rubbed his jaw.

"Are you done?" Two-Bit nodded and sat down on the floor. Then Dally explained everything that happened. The gang was angry with Dally because he hit Jamie, but they could see where his anger was coming from.

_**Jamie's POV**_

I hadn't moved from my position on my bed for what seemed like hours, even though I knew it was only minutes because I was listening to everything going on outside my room. I sat up and stretched. Then, on my left, I noticed something shining. I looked over and saw it was my switchblade.

I quietly moved over to it and picked it up. All the bad memories of what had happened five years ago came rushing back. I sat back on my bed and carefully examined the tool.

'Just think' I thought to myself. 'This gave me relief five years ago and it's about to give it to me again.' Carefully, I pressed the blade against my arm and watch as the blood slowly seeped out of the cut. I watched it until I felt all of the emotions drain from by body.

I quickly moved to my suitcase and dug out a piece of ratty old black cloth, about one square foot. I pressed it against my arm and waited for the blood to stop flowing. I hadn't cut myself for nearly five and a half years, and now I was back to doing it again.

"Jamie," I heard a voice ask me." It startled me and I dropped my blade.

"Y-Yeah Soda?"

"Can I come in now," he asked, unsure if I would let him in this time.

"Just a sec," I said, rushing around my room. I threw on a sweatshirt and hid my cloth and blade in my dresser before opening the door of my concerned friend.

Soda came right in and sat down on my bed." I know about what happened with Dally."

"I know. I heard him telling you guys."

"But that's not why I wanted to come in here."

"Then why did you come?"

"What did you mean by no one can help you now?" I gulped, hoping he wouldn't probe too far, because I knew that if he did, I wouldn't be able to keep it from him.

"Nothing, I was just caught up in the moment. I was considering telling you that before, but I figured that this would end up happening, so I decided to wait." I could see that Soda didn't believe my story, but he didn't press the matter.

"That's all, I guess. Why don't you come out and join the rest of us bums.

"I don't know Soda…"

"Come on Jamie, Dally's calmed down now. And besides, Darry's home and he'll protect you from the infamous wrath of Dallas Winston." I nodded my head slowly and followed Soda out of my room. There in the living room, Dally was still sitting in Darry's chair and the rest of the gang was where they were before.

When Darry saw me come out, he motioned for me to come to him. I did. He put a finger under my chin and turned my head slightly so he could look at the now forming bruise on my face. I was sure that you could still se the hand print somewhat clearly.

"Are you okay Jamie," Darry asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine Dar. Don't worry about it," I said nonchalantly.

"But I do worry about Jamie. Dally had no right to hit you."

"I know Darry, but let it go. I'm fine now.

"Well, if you're sure," he said skeptically, wondering if I was really okay with what happened.

"I am." Darry nodded and pulled an ice pack to put on my cheek.

"Keep it on there for at least an hour. It should reduce and prevent any swelling," he said, putting it on my face.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed and pulled away from the coldness. "Darry, that's cold!"

"I know, now put it on your cheek and keep it there for an hour, got it?" I mock saluted him, just like Two-Bit had two weeks ago and walked into the living room. Whatever happened now I would just have to deal with.


	8. Chapter 8

_**JAMIE'S POV**_

I sat down on the floor beside Two-Bit, who was completely engrossed in Mickey Mouse. I wanted to say something to him about Dally, but I didn't for two reasons. 1 he probably wouldn't hear me on account of being too involved in the Mickey episode to care and 2 Dally was here. I sighed to myself and wondered how I could get over Dally hitting me. I know that I told Darry that I was fine, but I really wasn't. How could I get over something that brought back so many horrible memories?

"Did you see that Jamie?" Two-Bit burst out, laughing at just what happened in the show.

"Yeah, Two-Bit," I said absent-mindedly. I really didn't care what was happening in the land of Mickey Mouse at the moment. I decided that I really didn't want to be in the same room as Dally, so I got up and sat on the front porch. A moment later, I heard the door close and I felt a presence beside me.

"You have to talk to him sometime Jamie," Johnny said.

"I know, but it's just so hard. He's supposed to take care of me, and I don't think that he wants to."

"You know that's not true. Dal's just not used to having to care for somebody is all. He'll get used to it."

"But that's just it Johnny, I'm not sure if he will get used to it."

"He will, just give him time." I nodded and gave him a hug.

"Thanks Johnny, you're the best." I could practically feel him blushing. I was quite funny, actually. I stepped back and turned towards the street. Johnny sensed that I was better now, so he went back inside. I let my thoughts wander into the breeze. In a matter of seconds, millions of thoughts had passed through my mind. The one that had stuck out was about mine and Dally's relationship. How things has so drastically changed over the past few years. I could still remember how things were back then. Back when our real parents were still alive.

FLASHBACK (normal pov)

A young Dally and Jamie were sitting on a rooftop, looking at the falling snow. It was Christmas Eve and Mr. Winston had kicked both children out into the cold. He had only given them jackets because he claimed that it was Christmas Eve and he could have thrown then out with one. It was nearing midnight, and both Dally and Jamie were in a clam state of mind. They had each other, and that's all that mattered.

"Dally," Jamie whispered. "Why did Daddy kick us out?"

"I don't know Jamie. I don't know." Dally wrapped a protective arm around his baby sister and hugged her close. He couldn't imagine a more perfect moment to be in. Himself dressed in an old green sweater with a worn-out navy colored jacket, his sister in a white sweater and an old pink jacket. The sound of church bells in the distance signaled the arrival of Christmas.

"Merry Christmas James."

"Merry Christmas Dally. I love you."

"I love you too." Dally said, and he meant it. His parents didn't care about them, so the least he could do was take care of his little sister. "Hey, I got something for you." he said, taking a box out of his coat pocket. He gave it to Jamie, who quickly opened it. Inside, laid a silver locket with the initials J.C.W. engraved in the front. The small girl gasped and turned to her older brother.

"Open it," he whispered to her. She did, and what she found inside made tears spring to her eyes. Although still young in age, she was old enough to appreciate the things she got. Inside, there were two little pictures; one of her laughing, the other of her older brother waving at the camera, a goofy grin plastered to his face. On the back it said: _I love you. - Dally_

"Dally, it – it's wonderful."

"I know. I saved up my money so I could buy you an extra special gift this year. Last year was a disaster, with me being in jail and all, and I wanted to make it up to you."

"You didn't have to."

"I know, but I wanted to."

"I got you something too. It's not a great as your present, but I tried." Dally couldn't help but smile as his sister gave him a small package. Inside was a drawing of the Christmas tree in the local park. Kids from the whole neighborhood, all between the ages of six and fourteen, chipped in what they could to buy lights so they could decorate the only evergreen in the park. It had become a yearly tradition. The other was a small chain with St. Christopher on it (**a/n: the one that Dally wears in the movie)**

"Jamie, it's great."

"It is? I wasn't sure if you would like it and I started worrying-"

"Don't worry about it, I love it."

"Really?"

"Really. And happy birthday Jamie. Happy birthday." He put his arm around her small shoulders and began to hum her favorite Christmas carol "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

END FLASHBACK(still normal pov)

Jamie could feel tears start to form in her eyes. Once Dally had gotten out of jail the first time, he had turned into a completely different person. He seemed to have turned hard and cold. But that Christmas was special for Jamie. It was the last time that they had ever really talked, the last time he said I love you, and the last time she saw her brother until she moved here.

She lied when she told Dally that she didn't know that she had an older brother. The years had clouded both their minds and they had talked about them not really knowing each other. She supposed that because she lied, he just went along with it. But now, she wished that he hadn't gone along with it. That he could have mentioned the bond that they used to share. But he didn't.

That bond, she realized, had been severed when he left her in New York and she hated for almost a year. It had been so long, and so many things had happened, that she felt they were no longer brother and sister, just people who used to know each other.

"Jamie, are you alright?" Darry asked, sticking his head outside the door. Jamie shook her head, allowing the tears to fall from her eyes, She knew she should be strong, but the memories of her and Dally's past together, and how it would never be the same, made all of her guards fall. It was just too painful.

Darry walked to where she was standing and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a comforting embrace. She cried into his chest, allowing all of her pain and suffering to come out. She didn't notice it, but the gang had crowded by the door, watching the scene.

"Why did he have to leave, Darry? Why did he have to leave me all alone?" she asked, still crying.

"I don't know baby," Darry said soothing, glancing over to the doorway where Dally was standing.

"We-we snuck back inside, an- and he put me to bed just like he always did. When I woke up, he-he was gone Darry. He was gone and he didn't even say good bye." She sniffled. Darry turned his head and glared at the tow-headed teen in the doorway. Dally had a look of guilt.

'That's right' he thought. 'I never did say goodbye to her'. Jamie sensed that Darry had shifted and looked up at him. She saw he was looking at the door, so she looked there too. She saw her older brother standing in there. A glint of sunlight hit something hanging around his neck. When she looked to see what it was, she noticed that it was her last Christmas gift to him. She immediately reached down and pulled out her locket. She had never taken it off since the day that he gave it to her.

Dally's eyes caught the object hanging from Jamie's neck. He silently gasped when he saw that it was locket that he had given Jamie six years ago. "Jamie-" he began to say. Jamie narrowed her eyes at him and broke out of Darry's grasp. She turned and sprinted down the stairs. Dally quickly dashed after, trying to catch up to his baby sister.

He finally saw her sitting on the car seat in the lot. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and had her head resting inside her arms, which were laying on her legs. Dally stopped running and quietly approached his sobbing sister. He sat down next to her, remembering the last time he had seen his baby sister before he left, all too well. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. Jamie uncurled herself and leaned against her older brother.

Dally shifted so that he was able to bring her into somewhat of a hug. At that moment, he didn't care about his rep. He didn't care who saw him. He didn't care about anything, except his kid sister. He had left her to fend for herself at the young age of eight. He didn't plan on leaving her like that again.

"Jamie," he whispered. She looked up into the face of her older brother. "I'm sorry that I left you like that. I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye. I don't want to hurt you like that again. So, I want to ask you something."

"What is it Dal?"

"I was thinking, I mean it would have to be okay with you, I wouldn't want you to do anything you didn't want to, but I was thinking about making me your legal guardian. I mean, you would probably stay at the Curtis' and I would be at Buck's, but I would be totally responsible for you."

"That sounds good to me." Jamie said, sitting up and giving a smile.

"Good, I was hoping you would say that. It's a big relief."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's already done."

"What!"

"I've already filled out the papers. I'm now your official guardian." Jamie gave a sort of laugh and hugged Dally. Things were going to be different now. Much different.


	9. Chapter 9

**_blondie 24-7 _** you really think it was needed? I guess it did kind of make things a bit more interesting. Well, thanks for messaging!

**_darkdestiny2000_** I'm glad you loved it. It was really fun to write and I wrote that scene while I was listening to 'have yourself a merry little christmas'. So I just decided to slip it into the story.

DISCLAIMER : I sadly do not own the Outsiders. If I did, I would be one happy person and I wouldn't be here writing this.

* * *

_**Dally's POV**_

As we walked back, I could feel the happiness coming off my sister. I never knew that a simple act could make someone so happy.

'Adopting Jamie is a responsibility that I hope I can handle. I just hope that I don't screw it up or something.' I thought to myself. Nearing the Curtis', I couldn't help but realize that I had put myself under even more stress. Before, I had to get used to the fact that I had to watch out for some kid during all hours off the day. Now, I had to look out for her twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. If something happened to her, it was my responsibility to make sure that she was okay.

--**the next day—**

I had woken up earlier than I normally did because I had to drive Jamie, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit to school. Lord knows why he still bothered to go. He said that he only went for the kicks, but I think that there's more behind it, I just don't know what it is. I took a quick shower and drove to Darry's place. Today would be Jamie's first day at this school. I knew she was probably up by now, knowing Darry.

I walked in the door and saw Pony and Jamie sitting at the table eating breakfast. Pony was eating a piece if cake and Jamie was eating – What? 'Oh you gotta be kidding me' I thought. Jamie was eating a plate of eggs with jelly on them. I realized then how much Sodapop had rubbed off on her. **(A/n: I actually tried that at one point. It actually doesn't taste half bad)**

"Hey kid," I said, sitting down at the table.

"Hey Dal," Jamie said, not looking up from her plate of jellied eggs.

"Hey Ponyboy."

"Hi Dally." The next moment, Soda stumbled out of the bathroom, still wet from his shower, and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. I could see Jamie blush slightly as Soda asked Pony if he had seen his DX shirt anywhere.

"Nope."

"How 'bout my jeans?"

"Darry ironed them, they're in his closet."

"Thanks Pone."

"No problem."

"Hurry up Soda, we're gonna be late," Steve shouted, walking in through the door. He already knew what was going on because the same thing happened almost every day.

"I'm hurrying" Soda shouted from Darry's room. Moments later, he came rushing out, ready to walk out the door.

"Soda," Jamie called out.

"What?"

"Shoes." She said, pointing to his feet. Soda glanced down before rushing into the room that he and Pony shared.

"Hey, anyone see my other shoe?" Soda asked hurriedly. I picked up the shoe that was lying next to the leg of my chair and threw it at Soda as he came out of the room. "Thanks Dal." I nodded and watch as he carried his shoes with him and out the door.

I looked at the clock and decided that we'd better leave if they wanted to get to school on time. Obviously they both realized this too because they got up from the table and grabbed their school bags from their respective rooms. We walked outside and saw the other two bums waiting by "my car". We all piled in; me in the drivers' seat, Two-Bit in the passenger, and the three kids in the back. We got to the school and everyone piled out. It was then when I noticed what Jamie was wearing. She was wearing short jean skirt, a pink tank-top and a jean jacket with black flip-flops. It was too late to call her back, a definitely too late to get her to change, so I would have to talk to her after school.

**_Jamie's POV_** **- - after school—**

The four of us had no idea when Dally was to pick us up, so we were stuck walking back home. My first day had been hectic, to say the least. I had gotten lost at least four times, almost got ran over by a bunch of screaming girls running towards a middleclass jock, and had a fight with some soc girl.

Two-Bit was up ahead talking with Ponyboy while Johnny and I lagged behind.

"So, how was your first day at school Jame," Johnny asked me as we walked.

"Not bad, I guess." I told him about all that happened that day, and he couldn't help but grin at my story.

"Trust me, it gets better once you get used to things." By the time Johnny said that, we were going up the steps. We walked in and saw Dally sitting on the couch. I saw him look me over before turning back to the TV. I went to my room and started on my homework. I didn't have that much, but it was enough to make me get started on it right away.

A few hours later, I was done. I leaned back on my desk chair and stared up at the ceiling. I felt the pull of my blade becoming stronger as the moments passed. I had only cut once yesterday, but that was enough to bring back my addiction. I walked silently over to my dresser and pulled out my blade and cloth. I pressed it down against my forearm and watched the blood flow. To anybody else, the sight of flowing blood would be sickening. But I had grown accustomed to both the sight and the smell of it. I wiped away my mess and put everything back in its place.

I decided that now would be a good time to write down everything I was feeling. I grabbed a spare notebook and began writing. I didn't really have to think about it, I just let everything I was feeling come out through my pen and onto the paper. I reread what I wrote and decided that I was satisfied with it. I had written about all the things that I had felt since I got here. To Tulsa, that is. I had nearly filled up three pages. I dated the top and put it away.

"Jamie," I heard Ponyboy call from the hallway." Dinner's ready." I got up and pulled on the denim jacket that I had taken off earlier. I walked out of my room and into the kitchen. Darry was dishing out the food onto the plates that Soda was handing him. He had made chicken, rice and carrots. I took a seat at the table as Soda placed a plate in front of me. I started eating the veggies first, wanting to the worst over with.

During the course of the meal, everyone was laughing and kidding around. I wasn't really paying attention to what was being said. I just stared off into space, wondering what my life would have been like if I had never met Dally and the gang.

Soda decided to treat everyone to an ice cream at Dairy Queen. I agreed to go along, not just because I wanted to, but I didn't want to feel the temptation of the blade again.

_**Dally's POV**_

Everyone went along with Sodapop idea, except me and Darry. Darry had to work tomorrow and I had something that I wanted to look into. Sodas and Steve had to work tomorrow too, but that never stopped them.

After everyone left, Darry went to watch the evening news and I headed towards Jamie's room. I knew I shouldn't be poking though her stuff, but I had to figure out what was going on. I knew how much Jamie liked to take advantage of nice days. She didn't wear a coat unless it was chilly or she was going to a party that her outfit required one. Today had been a perfectly wonderful day, and she was wearing a jacket. I knew she never did that, so I wanted to figure out what she was up to.

I first looked in her book bag and nightstand. I didn't find anything that was of any use to my little quest. The next spot on my list was her dresser. I searched through her drawers. I found her switch. 'Now I know where she keep it' I though to myself. But what I found next made my mind start to churn. A little black cloth was sitting right underneath it. It didn't look to be anything of use, which is what made it so unusual.

The thought of Jamie cutting herself briefly entered my mind. It was a crazy theory, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Jamie wore a sweatshirt yesterday and a jacket today. 'That doesn't mean she's cutting' I scolded myself.

The last place I had to look was her desk. I walked over to it and searched its contents. I found a bunch of things that you would normally find in a desk. The odd thing was, it had a singe notebook, which looked to be almost new. 'This is wrong' I thought. But the safety of my sister overcame the feeling of guilt that I had currently had. I lifted up the notebook and opened it to the first page. It had today's date on the top.

I read through the three page passage. Words like _blood_ and _soothing_ kept popping out at me. My fear had been confirmed; my kid sister was cutting herself. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to tell her that I snooped through her stuff and I knew what she was doing to herself. This was not going to be easy.


	10. Chapter 10

**NewGirlOnTheBlock - **I will! lol

**soda'slover - **It's actually not half bad, suprisingly. It tastes the best with grape jelly.

**Blondie 24-7** - He might not seem exactly Dallyish - but trust me, things with him will get more interesting once he finds out some of her secrets.

**darkdestiny2000 - **he pulls it off in a somewhat unDallyish way. But when he finds out her big secret, he'll go balistic.

**xocrazililkelox **- I'm glad that my characters are, well, in character. Sometimes I fell lke they're a bit out of it, but I guess not. Just tell me when they get to be un-character like and I'll do my best to fix it.

* * *

_**Jamie's POV**_

I silently laughed to myself as we made out way to the Dairy Queen. I saw the way Dally had looked me over when I came home from school. It looked like he didn't want me wearing that short of a skirt to school. My plan was to see if he would say anything to me about my attire. He didn't, but I could see it in his eyes.

The gang, or most of it anyway, sensed that I was thinking, and left me alone. I was like Ponyboy in so many ways that it was kind of creepy. We both liked sunsets, books, movies, and we both got lost in our thoughts. We even both got put up a grade in school. By the time I looked around me to see where we were, the gang was walking through the door of the Dairy Queen.

Soda got us a big booth and we all piled in. I was in the middle; between Pony and Johnny. The waitress gave us all menus and left to let us decide. I looked down at the menu in front of me and studied its contents. I didn't want Soda to feel like I was mooching off him or something, so I settled with a chocolate dipped vanilla cone. A few moments later, the waitress came back to take our orders. I saw Two-Bit checking her out, seeing as she was a blonde.

I studied Two-Bit, wondering what he even saw in her. She looked like a typical greaser girl; tight / revealing cloths, make up painted on, and she was snapping away at her gum. As she walked away, she swayed her hips more than normal, leaving Two-Bit to stare after her rear end.

When our ice cream came, I saw him flash her a grin, causing her to wink back at him. I was pretending no to notice, but in reality, I was kind of hard not to. It was quite disgusting actually. Two-Bit deserved so much better than the girls he usually dated on a regular basis. 'He should find himself a girl that will stay with him, no matter what happens. Not someone who will run off to another guy after a week.' I thought.

When we were done, Two-Bit kindly offered to pay the bill. He brought it up with him to the cash register, where the blonde waitress was. After a minute or so of talking, he came back, his hands shoved into his pockets, grinning like a kid let loose in a candy store.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked, clearly confused as to what had just happened. I looked around the table, seeing if anyone else understood. They all seemed to have a knowing look on their face, except Soda, who looked ready to burst out laughing at his friend's slow behavior.

"Nothing, just paid the bill is all," Two-Bit said, sauntering over to our table. Soda shook his head before getting up from his spot at the booth.

"Well, we'd better go," he said. "Steve and I got work tomorrow." We all got up and walked out the door. I was thinking again, but I guess that some people wanted me to be part of the group again. I felt someone standing behind me, and before I could even look to see who it was, they picked me up and threw me over their shoulder as they ran to catch up with the group.

"Two-Bit! Put me down!" I shouted, hitting the back of his leather jacket.

"Sorry Jamie, but I can't. Soda told me to get you, and I did."

"But I can walk on my own!"

"I know you can. But at the rate you're walking, you'll be out here till morning." I huffed as he continued to carry me back to the group. When we approached them, I slid off his shoulder and hit him in the back of his head. Two-Bit just grinned innocently at me, pretending like he never did anything. I just shook my head and turned to catch up with the still walking group.

It wasn't long before we reached Pony's house. I was glad because I knew that everything would be back to normal once we got in. As I walked through the door, I saw Dally sitting on the couch and Darry sitting in his chair. Darry had a disappointed look on his face and Dally looked like he was trying to keep himself from exploding in anger.

I looked from Dally to Darry and back again.

"Jamie, we need to talk to you," Darry said in a calm voice.

"'Bout what?" Soda asked.

"Don't worry about it right now little buddy." Darry said. He nodded to Dally, who got up from the couch. He walked over to me, grabbed my upper arm and dragged me into the kitchen. Darry followed us, the rest of the gang trailing behind him.

"They're not going to leave until they know what's going on Dally," Darry said sighing.

"Fine, they can stay." Dally said, almost growling. He let go of my arm and pulled something out of his back pocket. He thrust it at me and it took it gingerly. It was something wrapped up in a black cloth. 'Wait! A black cloth! Oh no….' I thought. They knew. They knew and I was going to be in so much trouble.

"You mind…telling us why you're doing it," Dally said in a low, angry voice.

"Doing what?" Steve asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about Dal." I said, trying to act dumb.

"Like hell you don't Jamie!"

"What are you people yelling about?" Two-Bit shouted so he could get the attention of Dally and Jamie.

"Do you want to tell them or should we?" Darry asked, glaring down at me.

"Um… I… well…"

"She's cutting herself." Darry stated, seeing as I was not going to say it. I heard a few what's and an occasional why. "You're going to have to ask Jamie that," Darry said.

I felt all eyes turn on me and Dally said "Tell them." I shook my head and looked at the ground. I couldn't tell them why I originally started cutting. All that would do would bring back painful memories that I didn't want to relive. 'But I guess I can tell them why I started up again. After all, that part won't be a lie.'

"I started cutting because Dally hit me," I mumbled under my breath.

"What? We can't understand you if you don't speak up." Two-Bit said.

"I said I started cutting because Dally hit me." I said, louder this time, so they could hear me. Then there was silence. You could have hard a pin drop, which is pretty scary because it's never quiet in the Curtis house. I looked around the room at the faces of all my friends and my brother.

Dally's eyes were filled with guilt and anger. The mixture of the two created a saddened sort of look in his eyes. Darry just looked at me, disappointment and pity written all over his face. Soda and Steve shared the same expression of shock. Two-Bit was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, unable to come up with anything to say. It looked like Pony didn't know what to think, and Johnny was giving me a look that plainly said 'I know what you went through, but you didn't have to go and do that.'

I lowered my head again, unable to continue looking into the faces of my friends and family. I started walking out of the kitchen, wanting nothing more than to be in my room. As I got to the doorway, I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder, stopping me from walking. I turned to see who it was that stopped me from walking. It was Darry.

"You told me that you were okay," he whispered to me. I hung my head in shame, knowing that he was right. I had lied to the only person who cared for me like a daughter. I knew then what it was like to disappoint your father. I didn't bother to move, because his hand was still on my shoulder. "Come on, let's go. "He said, guiding me to the front door."

"Darry, where do you think you're going with my sister?" Dally called out as he walked over to Darry.

"I'm taking her for a walk so we can talk."

"I'm the one she should be talking to, not you."

"I don't think she wants to talk to you right now."

"And how would you know that?" Dally said cockily.

"Because you're part of the problem." I could see Dally seething with anger.

"You're not her father Darrel!"

"Well, neither are you!"

"Will you both stop talking about me like I'm not even here?" I shouted, getting upset that they were ignoring me. They both looked at me, their anger still present on their faces. "Dally, you're a great brother. You really are. But I think that Darry's the one that I need to talk to right now." Dally nodded and stepped away from Darry and I. Darry nodded back and walked out with me by his side.

We walked to the lot and sat down on the old, dilapidated car seat. "Why'd you do it Jamie?" Darry asked, looking at me in a concerned fatherly way.

"I don't know Dar. I really don't know. I guess that everything got to be too much for me to handle and I just sort of cracked."

"Jamie, I want you to give it to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't think I didn't see you put the blade into your pocket. I need you to hand it over to me."

"But Dar-"

"No buts Jamie. This is serious and I need to make sure that you don't try and continue with this kind of behavior." I nodded solemnly and reached into my coat pocket and handed it to Darry. He put it in his own coat pocket and stood up. "Come on Jamie; let's get you back home so you can get enough sleep for school tomorrow." With that, we walked back home.


	11. Chapter 11

**_darkdestiny2000 - _**thanks

**_blame it on the government - 1 -_**yeah, I realize that. They both had been through some tramatic times and remembering a long lost sibling wasn't the first thing on their minds. Dally had to deal wit hjail and moving to Tulsa on his own. For a reason that I am not yet stating, Jamie was put into a foster home and her foster made her work like a slave.**_2-_**I'm sorry if you think this is a marysue type of story. I'm just trying to have a all around shy friendly type of person.****If you decide to continue reading / reviewing or not, that's your choice. But I appreciated your review either way.

**_soda'slover -_** I know, tragic really. Thank you. I am now.

**a/n : Sorry for the long wait guys. My computer crashed last weekend**

** and I was on vacation this past weekend. But I'm back and writing!**

_**------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Dally's POV**_

After Darry left with Jamie, I sat down in his armchair and thought about what I was going to say to her later. I really didn't get a chance to say what I wanted to earlier. It was mostly because the gang was there and I didn't want to say what I wanted in front of them. The gang all went to find something that they could be occupied with.

Two-Bit turned on Mickey, but I could tell them he wasn't paying attention to it for the most part. Steve and Soda went to the table and started up a game of poker, where Johnny and Pony watched. They all knew to leave me alone when I was like this. I was thankful that no one tried to talk to me, because I probably would have gone off on them.

I must have gotten lost in my thoughts, because the next thing I knew, Jamie and Darry walked through the door. Darry walked into his room, holding something in his hand. Jamie sat down on the couch, trying not to look at me. I sighed to myself and got up, walking over to where she was sitting. I sat down next to her and laid my hand tentatively on her shoulder.

"Jamie, look at me." I said as soft as I possibly could. She shook her head. "Jamie, you gotta look at me."

"Why?" she said almost inaudibly.

"What do you mean why? I'm your brother and legal guardian. I could have let you go to a girls' home, but no, I took you in to protect you. Jamie just look at me." She did, and a sort of sadness filled her blue eyes.

"You're right Dally. I'm sorry I've been acting this way. I just wanted everything to be like it was." I didn't say anything. I didn't need to. Jamie had a right to want things to be like they were, and I couldn't blame her. I had laid awake many nights since she arrived, wondering how things would have been different for me if things were the way the way they had been.

Two-Bit turned away from the television and faced Jamie. "Glad to see you're back."

"Thanks Two-Bit." She said. I could see some kind of emotion hidden in her eyes. It wasn't one that I had seen before. I couldn't quite place what it was. Two-Bit smiled back at her and turned back to the TV. Something was going on and I needed to get to the bottom of it.

"I'm going to the lot for a while, anyone want to come with?" Jamie asked, standing up.

"I'll go with you." Two-Bit said after a moment's silence. I saw Jamie smile at him and they both walked out the door.

_**Two-Bit's POV**_

We walked to the lot in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything, it was just to close friends walking together. I looked over at Jamie walking next to me. She was about 5'5", about a head shorter than I was. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun and her clothes weren't too socy, but they didn't make her seem trashy either. By the time we got to the lot, I had mentally commented on her features.

We sat down on the car seat and just sort of started ahead. She seemed to be in a peaceful state of mind, and I didn't want to bring her out of it. I realized then how out of character I was. I wasn't cracking jokes or talking just to talk. When it was just me and Jamie, I never seemed to be myself. What was going on with me?

"Why did you come with me Two-Bit?" Jamie asked, turning her slender body so that she was facing me. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. 'Why did I come?' I asked myself. Of course, I already knew the answer, but the question was, did I want to tell her?

"I just figured you shouldn't be walking around by yourself. Especially since you got jumped with three of us around."

"Oh. I see what you mean." She said, lowering her gaze to the ground. What did I say to make her feel so upset? I didn't tell her the truth because, to tell you the truth, I was scared of what she might say.

"Jamie, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." she sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind right now." Yeah right. I knew that something was up and it wasn't just a lot of junk in the attic. "If anything, I'm glad you came instead of one of the other guys."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, most of the guys would be asking me so many questions. Johnny and Pony would make me tell them and be completely silent, occasionally nodding. But you, Two-Bit, you can make anyone fell better by just being yourself. It's almost like you give off a natural good vibe." I could honestly say that at that moment, I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's.

Jamie looked up into my gray eyes with her bright blue ones. One look into her eyes, and I was immediately lost in a swirling, blue ocean. 'This can't be happening to me' I thought to myself. 'I can't be feeling anything for Dally's sister. I just can't.' **'Oh, but you are.'** the little voice in the back of my mind said. **'You are, and you should go for it.'**

But in another part of my mind, I couldn't help but feel that something wasn't quite right. It was true that I was feeling things for Jamie, but could it really be what I thought it was? Or was there some kind of feeling of responsibility that I had to deal with. I decided that I would just see what I could figure out during the next few weeks. Until then, I wouldn't get involved.

"Well, I guess we better get back to the Curtis', huh Jamie?" I asked, standing up and holding out my hand for her. She took it and I pulled her to her feet.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." We walked back, joking and laughing. I just couldn't seem to be all quiet and stuff for very long.

When we got "home", everyone seemed to be in a confused daze. "What's going on?" I asked.

"We just got a call from the state." Darry said.

"And?"

"They want you and Dally to go down to the police station."

"Did they say why?" Jamie asked.

"No. They just want them down there as soon as possible." Dally got up from where he was sitting and walked up to me.

"I guess we'd better go Matthews." He said.

"Yeah. Let's go." We walked to the car and drove off, both of us wondering what was going on.

**At the police station**

"Mr. Matthews, Mr. Winston, please have a seat." the officer said. Obviously, he had never heard about / met Dally before. We sat down and waited for the guy to continue.

"I received some information that might shock the both of you."

_**Jamie's POV**_

As soon as Two-Bit and Dally left, I went into my room and lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I tried clearing my head, but images of Two-Bit kept popping up. I sighed to myself and wondered why this was happening to me. 'I can't like him. I can't. He's so immature and he's four years older than me and he's had a few girlfriends that he's messed around with and he's just so hot and funny! Dagnamit! (**a/n: pronounced dag-nam-it. I always use that word instead of swearing) **Why did I have to fall for him? Why couldn't fall for Johnny or Pony or somebody? Why did it have to be him?'

I turned onto my side and looked over at the door. I could hear voices talking in the living room, but I didn't bother listening to what they were saying. I already knew what they were talking about. They were trying to figure out why Dally and Two-Bit were at the police station. To tell you the truth, I was wondering about that too. Why are they down there now instead of here where they're supposed to be? I realized how many why questions I was asking myself, so I decided to stop.

I closed my eyes, and started to feel drowsy. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I didn't even bother to look at the clock. All I knew was that it was late and I was tired.

I must have fallen asleep after that.

_**Dally's POV**_

The ride home was somewhat quiet. The shock of what we had just learned had taken its toll. Two-Bit was deep in thought as he stared out the passenger window, looking at the falling rain. It started up not too long ago, but it seemed to fit his mood. He wasn't cracking jokes or anything, not that I could blame him. I wasn't in a very talkative mood either.

We pulled up to the house and walked in. As soon as we walked in the door, everyone stopped what they were doing to look at us. It reminded me of when they first met Jamie.

"What happened guys," Steve asked.

"A whole lot." Two-Bit answered, still in a daze.

"Like what?"

"Well, this might come as a shock to you guys. It was pretty big for us."

"Well what is it?" Soda asked, clearly getting impatient.

"My dad slept with someone else before he married my mom, and I guess that the other woman had a kid."

"Yeah, so?"

"Two-Bit's mom was that other woman. Two-Bit's my half-brother."


	12. Chapter 12

**blondie 24-7 - **in a way, I'm glad I kept you in the dark, it seems to add spice to things.

**darkdestiny2000 - **yeah it is.

**Lilshorty9030 - **i really don't know yet. But don't worry, I'll think of something sooner or later.

**soda'slover - **I'm glad you're speechless. I love springing suprises on people through my story. It's so much fun. I didn't plan on having any incest, but I will probably cause some drama between them.

---------------------------

_**Steve's POV**_

"What?" I asked, not really believing what I had just heard.

"Dally here and I are half brothers." Two-Bit said, not cracking a smile. I could see in his face that he was still thinking about this whole situation.

"Where's Jamie," Dally asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"In her room, sleeping." Soda said. Dally glanced at her room before sighing to himself.

I watched as he slumped onto the arm of the couch. Darry looked over at Dally, giving him a look of understanding.

"I'm going to go check on Jamie," I said, getting up from the couch.

"If she's awake, don't tell her about this Steve. I think we should be the ones to tell her." Two-Bit said.

"Sure Two-Bit." I walked to Jamie's room and silently opened the door. Jamie was sound asleep on her bed, and it looked like she was having the best dream of her life because she had a small smile on her face. I smiled at the sight. To tell you the truth, I had developed a sort of crush on her.

Of, course, I would never tell the gang that. Mainly because Dally would beat the tar out if me if I ever laid a hand on her like that. Secondly, she deserves so much better than me. 'The whole gang knows that she's going to actually be someone who has a chance at life. I want her to meet a guy who can give her the world, and then some. And I'm just not that guy. I barely can make ends meet as it is. I get kicked out of my own house by my drunken dad every few days, I work on cars at a gas station for a living, I'm going out with a greaser chick who really could care less about what I want.

'I don't deserve Jamie. But I guess, in reality, no one does. She has her imperfections, but then again, so does everyone. And since I can't be the guy to give her everything, I want her to find a guy who can. It'll break my heart, but I just want her to be happy. I know I'm sound a lot like Ponyboy right now, but I don't care. It's my mind; I can say whatever the hell I want in it.'

_**Jamie's POV**_

**- - the next day - - **

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I hit it and it shut off. I walked to the bathroom holding the clothes that I had picked out for myself last night. As I was walking I glanced into the kitchen. Darry was making breakfast, Steve and Soda were playing poker, Pony and Johnny were watching television, and Two-Bit was annoying the crap out of Dally.

'Wonder why Two-Bit decided to pick on Dally," I wondered. I mentally shrugged before making my way into the bathroom. 'I wonder what Two-Bit was bugging Dally about," I thought as I got in the shower. 'Well, whatever it was, Dally sure looked pissed off.'

_**Dally's POV**_

I tried to ignore Two-Bit's annoying little taunts, but he wouldn't let up. He was telling me about everything under the sun all at once, and he wouldn't let up.

"Two-Bit, give the poor guy a break." Soda said. "And besides, he looks about ready to clobber you."

"Yeah? Well I can do whatever I want to him cuz he's my kid bro!" Two-Bit shouted with excitement. I knew that I must look really angry for Soda to say that, but I was. I, Dallas Winston, now had Two-Bit Matthews for a brother, and I would never hear the end of it from him. He will constantly be calling himself my older brother. I just hope that he doesn't bring any of that shit up around other people.

"Two-Bit shut your trap already!" I shouted at the still blabbering form.

"Is that any way to talk to your older brother?" he asked, a grin playing across his face.

"Yeah, it is. So shut it!" Two-Bit shut his mouth, but he was still grinning at me. 'Damn," I thought, 'why can't he just leave me the hell out of it?'

Then, Jamie came walking out of the bathroom, her hair still damp from her shower. I shot a glance over at Two-Bit that told him to tell her about what happened; I would take care of it. I knew she was bound to ask what happened, and I didn't want her to be overwhelmed by it all.

"Hey Dal," Jamie said, walking over to me. "What did the fuzz want with you and Two-Bit yesterday?" I shot a warning glance over at Two-Bit. He better not tell her about what happened.

"They told us that we're related." Two-Bit said, slinging an arm over her shoulder.

"What?"

"Damn it Two-Bit, I told you not to tell her!" I shouted, hitting him upside the head.

"Tell me what Dal?" she asked me, raising her voice slightly.

I sighed and looked into her eyes. "Jamie, a lot happened yesterday. The cop told us something we didn't expect. I guess dad slept with someone before he met mom. That someone was Two-Bit's mom. Jamie, Two-Bit's our half brother."

Jamie's eyes widened and she stepped out from under Two-Bit's arm. "N-no, you're lying. H-he can't be. It's not possible!" She started backing up towards the door.

"Jamie, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"You'd never understand Dal! Never!" With that, Jamie turned and ran out the door.

_**Jamie's POV**_

I jumped off the steps and threw open threw gate. As I ran down the block, I could hear Dally calling out my name. I knew that he was running after me, but I didn't want him to catch up. I knew that if I ran fast and long enough, my brother would give up. He's just not the runner I am.

I blocked out the sounds of the gang and kept running. I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get out of here. Pretty soon, I heard the footsteps diminish, with the exception of one pair. I was 99 sure that that was Pony. He was the only one from our gang who would be able to keep up.

I slowed down and let him catch up.

"Jamie, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?" he asked me as he slowly regained his breath. I caught my own breath before bothering to give an answer.

"I-I loved him Pony, I actually loved him." By now, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I loved Two-Bit. I loved everything about him; his smile, his sense of humor, everything. But now…" I trailed off. It was almost too much to bear.

"I'm sorry Jamie." He whispered to me. I could tell that he was getting uncomfortable having to deal with me in my emotional state.

"It's alright Pony, there's nothing you should be sorry for, you didn't do anything. Why don't you head back, I'll be along in a few minutes."

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you by yourself out here."

"Trust me Pony, I'll be fine." He nodded his head before walking back in the direction of his house. I sighed to myself before walking in the opposite direction. I wasn't ready to go back yet. I still needed to think.

I must have wandered for a while, because the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by big, beautiful houses and furnished lawns. I gulped as I realized where I was. I was in Soc territory.

I froze when I heard I voice behind me say, "What's a grease chick like you doing over here all by your lonesome, huh?" I spun around and was met by the sight of four socs

beginning to surround me. I saw one standing further back, but I didn't know why. All I knew was that I was in deep shit. I sent Ponyboy back, and I was almost positive that no greasers were around. I was stuck by myself in the middle of a band of socs. This just wasn't my day.


	13. Chapter 13

**_babiigrl : _**thanks for reviewing. I like that word, hillbilishish. Don't worry, Jamie will find out. though I'm not sure it will be by him. But I've been thinking about putting them together. It's good to know that if I do, I'll have your support on it.

_**darkdestiny2000** : _yeah, it's king of hard to forget because he doesn't act older. At all. lol.

**_Sariyu-chan and Sayuri-san : _**I'm glad you like it. I'll keep up the good work, especially if I keep getting reviews.

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_**Jamie's POV**_

It took a few moments for my reflexs to kick in. Once they did, I spun around and started to run. Unfortunately, I ran right into one of the socs. They had me pinned ddown in a second. I was struggling with all of my might, yelling for somebody to hear me, but that just made them pissed.

"Shut her up," one of them yelled. "Shut her up before someone hears!"

"Relax, no one around here is going to do anything about it. Besides, I knew a way to shut her up." another said. A second later, I felt the cool blade of a switch pressed up against my next. I immeadiately stopped moving, for fear of getting sliced open.

"That's a good girl," the second soc said. "Now just stay quiet, and we won't have a reason to kill you." I could feel the tension in my body rise. My palms started to sweat and I could feel goosebumps start to form on my arms, back, and neck.

"Let her go," a voice said. The small gang on socs parted a little bit to see who said that. With an evil grin, the secong soc, who happened to be sitting on top of me, preventing me from moving said something that made my skin crawl.

"What's the matter Douglas? Scared that mommy and daddy are going to find out that you're not so innocent anymore. I can just picture their faces when they find out what fun you're going to have with this chick." The soc named Douglas seemed to grow angrier and angrier with each word. With a battle cry, he lunged for the nearest soc.

I was stunned, to say the least. Why was a soc attacking other socs? I mean, I can understand horsing around, or a little fight, but this guy looked like he wanted to see blood split, and it wasn't mine. The soc on top of me sprang up and joined the other three guys in gamging up on that Douglas guy. The first punch was thrown by Douglas, and then, after a scruffle and a few swings of the blade, the other three socs took off running.

I watched as the guy named Douglas walked over to me and held out his hand. I just looked at it, not knowing if I could trust a soc.

"I'm not going to try anything, if that's what you're thinking." he said, almost reading my thoughts. I took it hesitantly, still unsure about what I was doing. Once I was back on my feet, I looked the guy over. He was about 6'7" with black hair and vibran green eyes. He had a medium build and looked to be about 16.

"Sorry about them," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I don't even know why I hang around with them. I hate most of the stuff they do, and yet, I always come when they call."

"You're just probably used to hanging around with them for so long. Once you start hanging around with a certain group of people, it's hard to just stop cold turkey." I said, deciding that he was okay. He managed to give me a grin, which almost made me sink back to the ground. I knew I'm supposed to hate socs, but this one was...wow. I realized then how much I had been staring at him, so I diverted my gaze to the ground..

"Thanks," he said. He turned to where greaser territory was and started looking over the streets. "I'd walk you home, but I reckon that would only stir up more trouble, so I'll walk you to the tracks." Being on the wrong side of the tracks was a common phrase used for some of us greasers. Coincidently, the railroad tracks is what separated out turf from the socs.

We prettly much walked in silence. During the 15 minute walk, I had only learned that his name was Shane Douglas, he was 16, and that he was an only child. I bacically told him off of the same info too. Name, age, and siblings. The silence was weird because it wasn't awkard at all. In fact, it felt quite comfortable. Before I knew it, we were at the tracks.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye Jamie."

"Yeah, I guess it is." He nodded towards me before turning around and begining to walk back. "Wait," I called out. He tured back to me. "Will I ever see you again?" I asked, hoping that I would.

Shane sort of smiled before walking up to me and putting his ring in my middle finger. I'll make it a point to get that back. See you at school. With that, he walked off into the distance. Boy howdy, was the gang going to have a fit if they found out what just happened.

_**Darry's POV**_

It had been a while since Pony came back, telling us that Jamie was going to be back in a few minutes. Out of habbit, I ran a hand through my hair. I worried a lot about Jamie. Not only was she younger than Pony by about two months, but she was just a girl. I know that doesn't really mean anything over here, but she wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was a matter of life and death. That's why I worry about her, she's too innocent to be caught up in the mess. But then again, like lots of greasers these days, she just ended up on the wrong side of the tracks.

It was nearing midnight and she still wasn't back. That caused me to worry even more. I remember the last time Jamie got jumped, and right then, I did something I haven't done in a long time. I prayed. I prayed that Jamie wouldn't get jumped. That she would be back here safe and sound, where no soc could touch her.

No sooner had I done that, did Jamie walk in through the door. Dally was on his feet in an instant, along with the rest of the gang. I mearly sat in my chair, knowing that I could get my chance sooner or later.

Jamie pushed her way through the group and walked over to me. "I'm fine, I won't do it again, I'm sorry, I'll go get ready for bed. Goodnight." She walked into her room, leaving me to feel very suprised. She had an almost bored tone in her voice, and I knew that she knew that I worried about her a lot. But I didn't think that what I was going to say was THAT obvious.

_**Jamie's POV **_

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock. I crawled out of bed and over to my dresser. As I was picking out my clothes for the dsy, I noticed the sun glinting off of something on my hand. I looked down to see Shane's ring sitting on my middle finger. I smiled to mself, remembering last night. 'God,' I thought, 'he is sooo good looking. Too bad he's a soc though, otherwise I might have had a chance with him.'

The rest of my morning went as usual. Had breakfast, went to school, was bored, and had lunch. It was after lunch that things got interesting. I was getting some books out of my locker when someone came and gently closed it. I turned to see Shane standing there, a slight grin on his face. "I told you I would see you at school." He said. I smiled at him.

"I'd imagine you'd probably want this back," I said, making a move to return his ring.

"No, keep it. I hardly ever wear it anyway. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I was wearing it yeasterday.

"Thank you." I said, putting my hand back down. "So, did you want to talk or something?"

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you a queation."

"Ask away."

"Do you - I mean, if you want to of course - maybe hang out sometime?" he asked. I noticed the little bit of blush creeping up onto his face, and I couldn't help but smile again.

"I'd love to. We'd just have to work things out." We exchanged phone numbers and I headed off to class. We decided that we were going to meet up in the park at around 9:30 - 10ish tonight. It wasn't really a date, it was just sort of a get to know eachother kind of thing.

The rest of the school day, I was practically bouncing of the walls with excitement. I got a few stares, but I really dudn't care. I had a date with a hot guy. Right mow, the whole social class thing didn't matter. I never had a date before, so this was going to be my first! I couldn't wait to get home and get ready. I just hope the gang doesn't get suspicious and follow me or something. That would be horrible. I just hope that whatever happenes, they don't find out.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Alleycat80 -_** so? lol... I actually didn't realize how tall that actually was until now. well, just imagine him shorter.

**_darkdestiny2000 - _**yep, they will. I'm still working on their rection, so it might be a few chapters before they actually find out.

**_soda'slover - _**wow, you must be really excited then. But I don't blame you for being skeptical. I would be too. After all, he's still a soc.

**_iheartponyboy33 - _**thanks. I love adding twists, it adds spark to the story. And I can promise you, there will be many more. Oh, and thanks for your opinion about Jamie and Steve. I'll figure everything out later, but I'm glad to know your opinion.

a/n: so very sorry about not updating sooner. I was just getting started with school and I was getting completely stressed out. Don't worry, I should be getting back on my weekly schedual very soon.

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_**Jamie's POV**_

After school, I went to the DX to kill some time. Homework was the last thing on my mind at the moment. Thoughts of Shane quickly seemed to push everything else out. It was almost like I didn't care about homework or anything else. The only thing I felt that I needed to do was see Shane tonight.

The DX was pretty slow when I got there. An ocasional girl would pop in to flirt with Soda, but that was pretty much it. Since there was nothing to really do, I let my thoughts wander. Everything from the days of my childhood to now passed through my mind. I lingered on the momories of Dally and the gang. But I found myself thinking mostly of Shane.

'Why?' I thought. 'Why does he seem to be taking over my mind? I've never felt this way about **anyone** before. Not even Two-Bit. Sure I liked Two-Bit, but I was never obsessed with him. Oh well, that's all changed now.' Then a realization hit me.

'Everything was fine when I liked Two-Bit, but now that I don't, things are falling apart. Why did things change so suddenly? Before I was actually begining to think that school wasn't so bad. Maybe a little bit on the fun side.

But today, it was like nothing mattered. I spaced out in all of my classes and I was always thinking of Shane. Why did he have this power over me? I figured that it was just some sort of freak physcological result of finding out the guy I like is actually my brother. Yeah, that has to be it.

"Jamie? Are you okay?" someone asked. I turned and saw Soda staring at me, a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah Soda, I'm fine."

"You sure? I mean, you looked sort of spaced."

"Soda, it's nothing. Just a long day at school." He gave me one last look before turning back to Steve, who was sitting on the counter. The started whispering to each other, ocasionally glancing back at me. It was pretty obvious that they were talking about me, but in all truth, I really didn't care. I didn't care what they were saying about me, as long as they kept it to themselves.

I stayed at the DX until Steve and Soda got off their shifts. The walk home consisted mainly of the two boys talking to each other and me walking along silently. It wasn't until later that I was confronted about my silence during the day.

I was sitting in my room, trying to decide what I was going to wear later, when there was a knock on my door. A second later, it opened to reveal Steve. I looked up, saw who it was, and went back to my book. Actually, reading was my cover up. It looked like I was reading, but I was mentally going through my closet, organizing my clothes into different outfits. Steve didn't make any move to tell me why he was here, so I figured I was going to ask him myself.

"What do you want Steve?"

"Dally wants you to come out into the living room."

"Why?"

"How the hell should I know? He just wanted me to come get you." I knew he was lying. I knew this was about the way I was acting. I wasn't stupid. On the contrary, I was actually pretty perceptive, I just didn't like to show it.

I decided to not tell him if I was coming or not. I kept looking at my book, except for stealign a glance at him out of the corner of my eye every once in a while. I could see that he was growing increasingly angrier the longer I ignored him. I knew that he hated me and thought that I was just a tagalong kid. Every time the two of them went out and Soda asked me to come along, I did. I always noticed the scowl of Steve's face when we were walking or driving to wherever we were going. It was actually pretty annoying.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked, taping his foot on the floor.

"I guess," I said, throwing my book down. I walked out of my room to see the whole gang waiting for me. I sat down on the arm of the couc hand waited for someone to start talking.

"I'm going to cut right to the chase Jamie," Dally said. "Why the hell weren't you paying attention in school?" I simply shrugged.

In all truth, I really didn't know. But I wasn't about to tell Dallas Winston that, even if he was my brother.

"What do you mean you don't know?" he asked, his temper begining to rise.

"I just wasn't paying attention today. Simple as that. I had a lot on my mind."

"Like what?

"I'm going out tonight with Angel."

"Angel who?" Soda asked.

"Angela Shepard."

"No." came a voice from the chair next to the couch. I looked over at Darry.

"What do you mean no?"

"You're not going out tonight with any Shepard."

"But Dar-"

"Let her go Darry." Two-Bit piped up. "She won't do anything illegal, I promise you that. Otherwise I'm going to ground her for life." The usual joking Two-Bit was replaced with a more brotherly one. I guess this is something I'm going to have to get used to. Darry surrendered and I went to my room to get changed. I put on a pair of faded low-cut jeans, a red tank top, and a pair of white gym shoes. I put my hair in a high ponytail and put on a bit of mascara and lip gloss.

When I walked out, I could feel all eyes on me.

"And where is it that you're going with Angela?" Darry asked.

"Nowhere special, really. Just going to hand around, maybe go dancing."

"Fine, but be back by 11:00. I don't want you walking in that door a second later, understood?"

"Yes sir." I said, saluting him. Two-Bit cracked up and I smiled to myself. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get over Two-Bit after all.

By the time I got to the park, Shane was already there. He was wearing a green polo with a white shirt under it, nice blue jeans, and a pair of expensive looking sneakers. I didn't think socs had anything other to wear besides flood pants and madras and dorky sweaters. Boy, was I wrong.

We walked over to the swings and sat down. Our conversations covered a wide variety of topics : home life, school, interests, hobbies, and so much more. Then, we came up to the topic of relationships. He confessed that he had only been in a few relationships, but none that were very serious. I was shocked, to say the least. I would imagine girls crawling all over him, much like they do to Sodapop.

"What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"What's your relationship status?"

"Well, I guess you could say that I'm a free spirit." He laughed. "I've never had a boyfriend. Sure, I've had my share of crushes, but then again, so has everyone. I guess I've just never found a guy that likes me."

"Well, what do you look for in a guy?" he asked turning to me. Sometime in our discussion, we had moved from the swings to a nearby picnic table.

"I guess someone that likes me for me. Looks don't really matter, but it can be a nice little bonus. Maybe someone who is loyal, trustworthy, caring, has a sense of humor, and a little bit protective."

He seemed to think this over for a bit before looking at his watch. "We better get going Jamie, it's already 10:30." I sighed and got up. I really didn't want to go back home yet. Shane and I semmeed to have a connection, and I didn't want to leave the place where we mentally were.

Shane insisted on walking me home, saying that he didn't look that much like a soc, just a middle class person. I agreed : not because he he convinced me, but because I wanted to be with him as long as possible. During our walk, he went back to the subject of my love life.

"Do you think you will be ready to go into a relationship anytime soon?" The question caught me off guard.

"I-I don't know. I guess so, but then again, it depends on on the person."

"What if that peron was me?"

"I guess I could see myself going out with you. But we're from total different social classes, I don't know how well that would work out."

"We'd work out all the details together. Jamie, I know that I've only known you for two days, but I really like you. We share a connection, I can feel that. Please, just give me a chance to prove myself to you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Does that answer you question?" He smiled at me and brought me into a hug.

"I promise I'll be the best boyfriend I can be," he whispered ot me, even though no one was around.

"There's just one small problem Shane."

"What is it?"

"My brothers and the rest of my friends are real hoods. I don't know about all of them, but I can think of two people who will _never _approve of this."

"And who might those two people be?"

"Steve Randle and Dallas Winston."


	15. Chapter 15

**blondie 24-7 :** hehe, I'm glad I could make you laugh. But you proabaly won't find out his thoughts until chapter17 or 18.

**iheartponboy33 : **you know, I never thougth about that. funny mental picture if Two-Bit dancing around in Juliet dress lol. Well, thanks for the mental pic.

**darkdestiny2000 : **yep, it sure is.

**DracosDefender : **I'm glad you like the half-bro kinda thing. I like putting unexpected twists into the story. Just wait until you see the final secret though. But that woun't be until a little later, Maybe chapter 20. Dunno though. I'll have to decide how long I want to make my readers suffer.

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_THE DISCLAIMER : I KNOW I HAVEN'T PUT IT UP FOR ANYTHING, BUT I AM NOW! HAHAH! I HAVE KNOW IDEA WHY I'M WRITING IN ALL CPAITALS. PROBABLY JUST TO LAZY TO TURN IT OFF. ANYWHO, I ONLY OWN JAMIE. (WHO I SEEM TO BE KIND OF BASING AFTER ME IN A WAY). OH WELL. ENJOY (_pssst... I don't own the Outsiders)

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_**Darry's POV**_

Jamie walked in the door at 10:59. I can't imagine her and Angela Shepard just hanging out for that amount of time. I didn't exactly approve of Jamie hanging around the Shepards, but I couldn't do anything to stop her. Two-Bit and Dally were fine with her doing that, so I might as well get used to it.

But I still couldn't get used to the face that Two-Bit and Dally were brothers. They were complete opposites. Dally was cold, hard, and mean. Two-Bit was always smiling, laughing, joking, and watching Mickey Mouse on TV. It was hard to believe that Two-Bit was older than Dally by a whole year.

"You have fun with Angel?" Dally asked from the couch.

"Yeah, loads. We pretty much stayed at her house and talked."

"Whatever." It wasn't until now that I noticed a ring on Jamie's finger. I hadn't seen it before. I wonder where she got it. I just hope she didn't steal it.

"Where did you get that Jamie?"

"Get what Darry?"

"That ring, where did you get it?" I asked.

"Oh, this? Angel let me have it. She never wears it, and she said I could get more use out of it than she ever will."

"Oh." It seemed like a strange thing for Angela to have, but then again, I had absolutely no idea what kind of strange and bizarre things she collected.

"Well, I'm going to bed. Night everyone."

"Night Jamie," everyone called back.

"I think it's time everyone went to bed." I said. "We all have to be somewhere early tomorrow, so get moving." We exchanged goodnights and I went into my room. I got changed into my pajamas and slipped into the cool, crisp covers of my bed. I set my alarm and turned onto my side. Sleep overtook me in a few seconds.

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A blaring sound woke me up from my dreamless sleep. I calmed down when I realized that it was just my alarm clock. I shut it off and dragged myself out of bed. Desperate to take a shower, I gathered up some clothes and made my way to the bathroom.

While the steaming water was running over me, I let my thoughts wander to Jamie. 'I know Angela didn't give her that ring. She wouldn't have something like that with her. If she was going to wear a ring, she would make sure that it was diamond studded or something. Angela isn't the type of person who will settle for something when she knows she can get better. Kind of like Tim.'

After I got out of the shower and got dressed, I went into Soda and Pony's room to wake Soda up for work. Soda just rolled over and buried his face into the pillow when I tried to wake him up.

"Come on little buddy, time to get up. You got work today." He mumbled something incoherently into the pillow. I sighed and went to the end of the bed. Reaching under the covers, I grabbed my younger brother's feet and gave a hard tug. He came flying out of the bed and into the floor.

"Now that you're up, go get into the shower." He walked out of the room drowsily and into the bathroom. "And don't use up all the hot water." I hollered as he closed the door.

'I swear, that boy will never become a morning person. Once he's up, fine, but until then, he's perfectly fine being dead to the world for a few more hours than most people.' I thought to myself as I started breakfast.

By the time I was done, Soda was bouncing out of the bathroom, a smile present on his face.

"Go wake up your brother," I said. He's got to get ready for school. Soda bounded into the bedroom and I heard a cry of protest. When Sodapop came back into the kitchen, I looked over at him from the stove. "You want breakfast now or later?"

"Now's good Dar." I handed him his plate of jellied eggs and chocolate cake. He took a forkful of eggs, and while they were still in his mouth, he shoved a piece of cake in.

By now, Pony was in the shower.

"Soda, "I heard him call out. "Why'd you use up all the hot water again?" I glared down at my younger sibling. 'I swear, that boy will never learn how to conserve water."

By the time I got to work, I could see storm clouds starting to roll in. The manager of the site said to see what we could get done. If we had to leave earlier, he said not to worry about it, because he would see to it that we would get a full day's pay.

It hadn't even been two hours before the rain started coming down. Naturally, we couldn't do any work in those conditions, so we had to go home. When I was about halfway home, I saw a beat up station wagon sitting on the side of the road. As I got closer, I noticed that there was someone leaning up against the hood. I stopped to see what was going on.

"Do you need some help?" I shouted as I rolled down the window. The figure turned to me, and I saw almost immediately that it was a woman. Dressed in a mid-length leather skirt and white shirt, it was easy to see that she was cold. I then noticed that her drenched shirt gave me a pretty good view of the black bra that she had underneath.

"Oh, thank you," she said thankfully. "No one has been down this road since my car got a flat tire. When I got out to see what had caused it, a gust of wind blew my car door closed." Before she said any more, I told her to get into the truck. I didn't need her freezing anymore than she already was.

"I'll take you home so you can dry off. Where do you live?"

"Oh, that's nice of you and all, but I don't think you'd be willing to drive all the way to California just to drop me off."

"You're right." I said. "In that case, I'll bring you over to my house. You can dry off there and wait until the rain stops. Then we can bring your car into a shop."

"Thanks." She said. I kept stealing side glances at her as I drove. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with brown curly hair that went just passed her shoulders and deep brown eyes. To tell you the truth, she really wasn't that bad looking. And to top it off, she body wasn't that bad either.

By the time we got to my house, her clothes were relatively dry. I had learned during the drive that her name was Theresa and she was 24.The rain had slowed down, but it hadn't stopped. When I walked into the door, I didn't see any of the gang. I figured that they were all probably at the DX with Soda and Steve.

"Wait here for a second Theresa," I said. "I'll grab you some clothes to wear while your other ones dry. You can take a shower to warm up, if you want."

"That would be great. Oh, and call be Tessa, everyone else does."

"Okay Tessa, I'll be back in a second with some dry clothes.

_**Tessa's POV**_

As soon as Darry left the room, I gave a sigh of relief. For a moment, back on the road, I had thought that maybe it wasn't Darry who would drive by. I was glad that he was buying my story so far. I just hoped it would stay this way. Hopefully, the other people he hung out with on a daily basis would believe it too.

When Darry came back with some clothes, I put on my "happy face". I could see that he would casually look me up and down every so often. I noticed it in the car, too. That was a good sign. After a moment, I ran a hand through my hair and told him that I was going to get showered up. He said to go right ahead. I walked into the bathroom and closed the door, sighing again. This time in distress. I hadn't expected him to be so good looking. This was going to be harder than I thought.

After my shower, I had to admit, that I did feel a whole lot better. Despite my whole act, the rain had been pretty cold, so it was very easy for me to look cold, never mind the fact that I was. When I walked out of the bathroom, Darry was sitting in an armchair, reading the paper. I gave a little cough to let him know that I was there. As soon as I did, he stood up and came over to me.

"Are those clothes okay for you?" He seemed actually care if I was okay. How sweet. But his kindness only made things harder on my part. If I ended up falling for him, I would never get this done.

"They're a little big," I said, motioning towards myseslf," but they serve their puropse. I never got a chanceto thank you earlier, Darry." I instantly froze, realizing what words had just come out of my mouth.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. I could sense the suspicion hidden underneath the suprise in his voice. I didn't blame him though. I owuld have been suspicious too.

"My cousin lives right near where you usually work. She said that you're a roofer. One of the best looking, in her opinion. Anyway, she's on vacation and I have no way to get into her house."

"That makes sense." he said, easing up a bit. A lot of our projects are around the same area, so I woudn't be suprised if someone knew who we were."

"And as far as lookes go," I said seductively, "I do believe that she's right. You are, by far, the best looking roofer that I have ever seen." I could see the blush creeping up onto his face, and I knew I had gotten to him. In a good way, that is.


	16. Chapter 16

**DracosDefender: **I'm glad you like the half-bro thing I put in there. I love twisting the story around to make you people happy.

**iheartponyboy33:** Yeah, she's not a hired assasin or anything, but she is a big part of the story line that I have planned.

**soda'slover:** You'll just have to wait and see. You'll proabally find out withing the next couple of chapters though.

**darkdestiney2000:**Thank's a bunch for the review, I always look forward to them. (I had a ryme going on in my head when I started writing this review, but I forgot was it was. Oh well.)

**DISCLAIMER : _hey i don't own the outsiders, simple as that. But i'd like to say that i am sooooooo sorry for not updating in a while, you see, i just started school again and the teachers decided to bomb us all with projects and homework. I was usually up until 11:00 or 11:30 just doing homeowrk, but it's slowing down now, so I have more time to write.

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___****Soda's POV**

The rain had been coming down for a few hours now, and let me tell you, it was coming down pretty hard. This pretty much made sure that we got no customers. Not that that was a problem for us here at the DX. It just meant that we didn't have to do any work. The gang had decided to come to keep us company while we were at work. Of course, being a school day, it meant that it would only be Dally. And he pretty much sat there, smoking like a chimney. Occasionally he could join our conversations, but he mostly sat there looking bored.

I would have told him that he could leave if he wanted to, but the rain was still coming down pretty hard. I think he knew this too, because he had a look that plainly said ' I have somewhere better to be' on his face, and he wasn't leaving.

It seemed like hours before the rain finally let up. Dal was out of there in an instant, leaving me and Steve to continue talking. We were kind of glad when Dally left.

He was getting pretty annoying, just sitting there, brooding. Somehow, we got onto the topic of relationships. Don't ask me how, but we did.

"So," Steve said. "How's it going with Sandy?"

"It's going pretty good Steve. We seem to be getting along better than ever. We're going out Sunday."

"Good for you buddy."

"Well, what about you Steve-o? Are you Evie on or off? I can't seem to keep track.It's always switching back and forth." He punched me lightly in the shoulder before answering.

"We're off. And to tell you the truth Soda, I don't know if I want to go back on." I was shocked, to say the least. I thought things were getting better between them.

"Why not?"

"I just don't feel anything for her anymore, man. There's just nothing left."

"Oh," I said. I was suprised. Steve really seemed to like Evie. I just thought they were going through a phase or something. "You don't seem to bummed about it, though."

"I guess I don't," he said thoughtfully.

"And why not?" He just shrugged his shoulders. "Shrugs ain't an answer buddy. What, is there someone else you like?" I didn't get an answer. "Ooooo, I bet there is. I think you've got the the hots for someone else. Is it somebody I know?

"Will you just shut your trap already, Sodapop? There's no other girl. I only liked Evie. Now I don't. Simple as that." He stood up and clocked us out. I looked up at the clock. I hadn't realized that we were done for the day already.

"I'm afraid that it's not that simple, my friend. You just don't stop liking somebody without a reason. Now fess up, who is it?"

"You have to stop being so damn perceptive Soda," Steve growled at me. "It doesn't do the rest of us much good." I grinned.

'So?" I was beginning to get impatient. I knew Steve like someone else from the way he snapped at me when I pushed the subject. He just scowled at me. "Come on Steve. You know I'm right and that I'm not going to stop bugging you until you fess up."

"Fine," he snapped. "You want to know who it is S.P.?

"Yeah, I do as a matter of fact."

"It's - oh come on now Soda, you already know who it is. I can see it in your eyes. Why do you have to go and make me say it?"

"Cuz I wanna have the thrill of knowing you actually told me who's got your mind so messed up." He mumbled something under his breath. I already knew what he said. I've actually known about it for a few minutes. But I just wanted to see him get all embarrassed about it. "What was that Stevie? Didn't quite catch that."

"Jamie."

'What about Jamie?"

"You really gonna make me say it?"

"Yes, I am. Now out with it."

'Fine. I like Jamie. More than I like Evie. Happy now?"

"Very," I beamed. This was so much fun.

"But I ain't askin' her out," he said as he walked out the door. I was caught completely off guard. 'Why wouldn't he ask her out? He's going to break up with Evie, but not go after Jamie?' I thought. 'Wait, something's not right with the way his head's workin' right now.'

"Steve, wait up!" I called out as I ran out the door. I made it to the pumps before I remembered that I had to lock up. I hurried back and locked the door. Turning back around, I noticed that Steve and slowed down, but not stopped. I ran to catch up with him.

"And why not?"

"Cuz it won't work."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do Soda, now lay off." I could tell that he was getting pissed, but I wasn't going to back down. I wasn't scared of my best friend since grade school. Besides, I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Come on Steve," I pleaded. "We've been best friends since grade school, you know you can't hide things like thins from me for long."

"Watch me." He growled. I smirked to myself. If I knew Steve like I think I did, then he would be telling me sooner than he led himself to believe.

_**Johnny's POV**_

I was sitting in History class, staring off into space. I didn't understand much of what was being said. Teachers think I'm dumb cuz I don't what they're talking about most of the time. But I'd know what they're talking about if they just explained it.

I looked out the window. Rain was poring down pretty hard. Luckily, Two-Bit drove us to school that day, otherwise we would have had to walk home.

"Mr. Cade." I heard my name and quickly looked towards the teacher. "Would you kindly like to pay attention during my class instead of dreaming about things that you would rather be doing?" I heard a group of socs snicker. I shifted in my seat so that it looked like I was paying attention. As son as the teacher got back to talking, the bell rang.

I met up with Pony, Two-Bit, and Jamie in the hallway. School was finally over for the day, and I couldn't wait to get out of there.

"Come on kiddies," Two-Bit said, slamming his locker shut. "Let's go grab something from the diner before I have to get yall home." We followed him to his car. The rain was still coming down, so we had to make a run for it. We were soaked even before we made it to the car.

Pony was sitting up in front with Two-Bit while Jamie and I sat in back.

"So Johnny, how'd your day go?" she asked, turning herself so that she was facing me.

"It went okay, I guess."

"You guess? Johnny, what kind of answer is that?" I just shrugged. I didn't know what to say. She was always trying to get me to talk more than I did. Never mind the fact that I had opened up some since she got here.

When we got to the diner, the rain had slowed up a bit. Jamie said that she thought she saw someone she knew and took off running to the alley. I was a bit suspicious, so I followed her. She was standing next to some soc, talking it up real good. He must have said something funny, because the next thing I knew, she was laughing. She said something back and he nodded. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before her took off.

She started walking back when she stopped suddenly. Our eyes met and she started blushing. In all truth, she kind of reminded me of Pony. He was always turning red over the littlest things. Not that this was little, but you get the idea.

"Johnny, you gotta swear to me that you're not going to tell anyone about this. Especially Dally. I don't need them knowing."

"It's okay, Jamie, I ain't gonna tell no one. I swear."

"Thanks you so much Johnny. You don't know how much it means to me."

"Oh I think I do."

Nothing really happened while we ate. The rain had stopped, which was good, but otherwise, nothing.

On the way back home, we came across Soda and Steve. Two-Bit pulled over and told them that he'd give them a lift. Jamie got out and let the boys sit down. It wasn't until then that we all realized that either she would have to walk or she would have to sit on someone.

"Come on Jamie, we're not going to bite," Soda jeered.

"Why do I even bother?" she sighed, throwing her hands up in the air. Soda winked at me and I stared back. 'Why was he winking at me? What did he have planned?'

Jamie hopped in. Soda grabbed her and pushed her onto Steve's lap." She gaped at Soda, a shocked looked across her face. I looked over at Steve. He was scowling at Soda, but Soda pretended not to notice. After a few moments, Steve settled sown and accepted the fact that Jamie was sitting on his lap. I knew he wasn't fond of her, but I didn't think he hated her that much.

The moment we pulled up to the Curtis's, Steve pushed Jamie off of his lap and got out. I watched as he stormed into the house. Soda shook his head, grinning like an idiot.

"Well, come on, let's get inside before I miss Mickey." We got out and walked inside. The second I stepped through the door, I stopped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.


	17. Chapter 17

**Lilshorty9030 - **I will! lol

**Lady Venya of the isle - **I know. I would totally go for Steve too, but I'm not exactually sure why. meh. oh by the way, i'm flattered that you wanted to add me.

**SilverStorm06 - **hehe...i'm glad you like it so far

disclaimer : don't own the hotness. wish I did. Well, I only own them in my dreams. Or do I?

a/n: sorry about the strange updating times. Homework as been on a really weird schedule and I, for some reason, have been extremely tired lately. so yeah, that's about it.

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_**Steve's POV**_

Two-Bit drove by in his old clunker and offered us a lift. Soda quickly agreed and I followed him. It was no use walking to the Curtis' when I had a ride. Jamie got out and let us guys get in. Once we were sitting, something occurred to me. Either she would have to walk home, or she would have to sit on top of one of us. I knew Two-Bit wouldn't let her walk home, so that left option number two.

As soon as Jamie got into the car, Soda grabbed her and practically threw her on my lap. I shot Soda a death glare, one that could have killed. Soda chose to ignore it, which got me even angrier.

But I found my anger slowly slipping away. I just couldn't seem to stay mad when Jamie was near, never the less, actually sitting me. Once we got to Soda's house, I pushed Jamie off my lap and stormed into the house. I knew that if I was around Jamie too long, my barrier would begin to break down.

I threw open the door and went inside. I stopped short when I saw Darry and some broad making out on the couch. Darry sat up quicker than anyone I've ever seen.

I could see both Darry and the girl start blushing. Darry looked at me and then behind me. I turned around and saw the rest of the gang, minus Dally, standing there. Soda had a bemused expression on his face, Two-Bit looked like he was ready to burst laughing, and the rest of them just looked shocked.

Darry sighed out loud and ran a hand through his hair.

"Guys, I'd like you all to meet Tessa. Her car broke down and she has nowhere to stay, so she'll be living here with us for a while."

I stepped back beside Soda. Out of the corner of my eye, Jamie seemed to have a suspicious look about her. To tell you the truth, I couldn't blame her. Darry wasn't the type of guy to just pick broads up off the street and give 'em a good time.

_**Jamie's POV**_

Later that night, Darry informed me that Tessa would be sleeping in my room. With me. Ugg. I've never been one to share my things. Especially with other women. Darry also suggested that I let her have the bed. I can't wait until she leaves.

"So," she said, trying to "break the ice". "You got your eye on one of them boys out there?"

"No." I said flat out. I didn't like this Tessa girl, and I didn't plan on starting anytime soon.

"I bet you do and you just don't want to tell me."

"No. I really don't."

"If you say so."

"I do say so. I'm going to bed"

"'Night Jamie."

I grunted a response. She seemed to friendly for her own good.

The days flew by, and before I knew it, Christmas was just around the corner. Tessa was still living with us, which I hated beyond all reason, but Darry seemed to like her. They're going out now. Sickening, I know, but I can't do anything about it.

Wait! Yes I can!

I started hanging around with Shane a lot last week. I know that it makes me give off a suspicious vibe, but I don't care. Anything to get away from _her_.

So, I was in the middle of pulling a sweater on when I heard the bedroom door open. I poked my head out from the neck hole and looked to see who it was. '_Surprise Surprise',_ I thought bitterly to myself. '_Look what the cat dragged in'._

"hey there hon, what's hanging? I gave her a look that plainly said 'Do you have anything else better to do than to annoy the crap out of me?'

"Not much, just going out," I managed to say. God was she annoying.

"Where?"

"Just out."

"Oh I see," she said slyly. "Going out with that boy again?" I spun around and looked her in shock

"How do you know about that?" I squeaked.

"Hey, I'm a woman, same as you. I do know a few things that the boys don't," she said shrugging.

"Like what?" I asked. I wanted to know what else she knew about me.

"Oh, just the fact that even though you're going out with a guy that is, pardon my phrasing, out of your league. And that you're also have the hots for one of our fellow friends."

I didn't know what she was talking about. The only person from the gang that I had ever liked was Two-Bit, but that was ages ago. Okay, maybe a few months ago, but still, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Oh yeah, and who might that be?" I asked.

"Steve Randle."

"What?! Where are you getting this from?"

"Oh, let's just say a little birdie told me." Then she walked out.

Grrrr. That woman seriously got on my nerves. I had no idea where she came up with the idea that I liked Steve. He acted like an ass towards me and I pretty much hated him too. Ok, maybe not hate him, that's Pony's job, but I sure didn't like him.

I checked myself in the mirror one more time before heading out into the living room. As I was pulling on my coat, I heard someone come up behind me.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" I turned around to see Dally standing in front of me.

"Just out Dal." I said.

"I can see that, but where out?" I looked down. Dally was good as seeing when I was lying. I didn't need him to know where I was really going.

"Oh let her go 'lil bro." I heard Two-Bit say as he walked out from the kitchen, holding a bottle of beer in one hand. "She ain't gonna do anything stupid, are ya Jamie?" I shook my head. "See?"

"Fine, go wherever you're going, but be back in three hours."

"Sure thing Dal," I said as I darted out the door. It took me a few minutes, but I finally got to where I was headed, the park.

"Hey there babe" someone whispered in my ear. I turned around to face Shane. He was grinning down at me.

"Hey," I said back. Before I knew it, Shane bent down and kissed me. I felt my need suddenly give out, but luckily Shane had wrapped his arms around my wait just in time.

He stopped momentarily; just long enough for us to sit on the bench. After a few minutes of making out, I heard footsteps approaching.

I broke away from him to see who it was. "Shit," I whispered.

"What?" Shane asked, confused.

"Shit, shit, shit." He turned around with a puzzled look on his face. When he saw who was coming at us, he wrapped an arm protectively around my waist.

"It'll be okay Jamie," he said soothingly, "just stay calm."


	18. Chapter 18

**SilverStorm06: **WooHoo! I'm glad you like it. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing you were about Tessa. Actually, I wanted to kill her off, but all of my scenarios were too violent and gorey. But don't worry, she will pay.

**ANGELMEGAN**: Maybe it's Dally. Maybe it's the socs. Maybe it's both. Anywho, you'll find out by reading the first line. (sigh... no suspence in the first line whatsoever)

**Lilshorty9030**: Hahaha. I love suspenceful endings. It keeps the readers interested. Yeah, you'll find out as soon as you read the first line. I guess I kept my readers waiting long enough to find out who it is.

**Update**: I hope that's you're username. I wasn't too sure, for some reason. Yeah, but to react to your threat...please don't hurt me!! wahh (pause) cough cough okay, yeah, just read the chappie and everything will be fine. (I hope)

_**Disclaimer :Sorry, don't own the hotties. Which you're all probably happy about because you'd like to own them yourselves. Yeah, S.C. Hinton does, which I'm extremely jealous of.Oh well, I can still pretend.** _

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There, standing not twenty feet away from me was Dally. As we stared at each other, I saw that his eyes had changed. They were no longer icy and cold, but full of a blazing hot inferno, which threatened to kill anything in its path, including me.

It seemed like hours before wither one of us moved. For fear of Shane getting hurt, I started walking towards my brother. Before I had even gone three steps, I felt a hand grip my wrist.

"Let go Shane," I sighed, "it's no use."

"I know, but let me at least try to do my job as your boyfriend and protect you." I shook my head at his stupid antics, but deep down, I was grateful.

"Get your Fing hands off her," Dally snapped. I jumped slightly, almost forgetting that he was there. I watched as he made his started making his way over to us. Knowing what he had planned, I moved in front of Shane, putting myself in the middle.

"Dal, I know what you're thinking, I started slowly, "but you can't do this."

"And why the hell not Janie? Why the fing hell not?" I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it again. I had a choice to make. Either piss Dally off even more than he already was, or hurt my boyfriend. Though break on my part.

"Because I love him!" As soon as the words tumbled out, I slapped my hands over my mouth. I hadn't meant to say that. Shit. I felt both pairs of eyes on me.

"Jamie," Dally said, trying but failing miserably at controlling his temper. "Is that true?" I nodded, not even bothering to look at him. I felt Shane put his hands on my shoulders, as if to comfort me.

That is what's known as the final straw to Dallas Winston

Without speaking, Dally came up to where Shane and I were standing. He yanked me away from Shane and threw me behind him. As soon as I was out of the way, Dally took his arm and brought it back.

"No!" I screamed, but it was already too late. He sent his arm crashing into Shane's face. He staggered back, holding his face in his hands. I made a move to go to him, but Dally spun around and grabbed me forcefully. I could tell that he was going to start telling me off, so I kneed him where it hurts. I hoped that he would let go of me and I could run to Shane, but no such luck.

He grabbed himself with one hand and my collar with the other. As he sunk to his knees, he brought me down with him. I refused to look at him. I could fell his read-hot gaze cutting into me like a knife. I didn't want to piss him off anymore that I already had, so I remained still and silent.

After a few moments, Dally stood up, once again bringing me with him. He let go of my shirt and grabbed by upper arm.

"You may have won the battle Jamie," he hissed, "but I'm going to win the war." I tried to suppress a shudder, but failed miserably. I could practically feel him smirking evilly, knowing that he had gotten to me. He began dragging me to what I assumed to be the home.

Turning back, I looked to where Shane was slowly staggering back to his feet. I could feel tears threatening to spill out of my eyes as I looked at him. He looked me in the eyes, and I mouthed the words, "Are you okay?" He nodded at me and then smiled. At that moment, I knew things were going to be okay between us. Maybe not like it used to be, but just okay enough to where we would both be comfortable. And safe.

I then turned my attention back to Dally, which I hadn't realized until that moment, had dragged me at least 30 yards from where we were before.

"Dal, I'm –"

"You're what?" he cut me off. "Sorry? Sorry that I found out that you're going out with a fing soc!" I lowered my gaze to the ground, knowing that the last statement wasn't a question, it was a fact.

"You'd better be glad that I ain't gonna give you hell until we get to the Curtis'." The only thing I could think of do was nod.

Dally opened the door and shoved me inside. I tripped on the rug and fell to my hands and knees. Pulling me to my feet, he called for everyone to get into the living room.

Everyone was eventually in there, and by the way Darry was looking, I thought he was going to pound Dally's head in.

"What's up Dally?" Soda asked from the floor.

"I found my sister sucking face with some soc! That's what's up Curtis!" Everyone in the room fell silent and I felt all eyes upon me once again.

After a few minutes of silence, someone asked, "Is that true?" I think it might have been Pony or Soda. I don't know though because I was paying more attention to my lap than to them.

I gave a small, half-hearted nod, because in all truth, I was scared.

I could feel the tension in the room grow considerably. After a few moments of silence, I stood up.

"And where do you think you're going?" Dally asked.

"Out."

"I don't think so," Darry said. I stared at him blankly.

"And why not?"

"Because the only time you're leaving this house is when you go to school" he said, standing up and temper flaring. He took me by the arm and led me to my room. He pushed me inside and closed the door. As soon as he pushed me in, I spun around, trying to get back out in time. But as luck would have it, I reached the door just as he closed and locked it. I ended up bouncing off the only doorway that separated me from the rest of the house, including the bathroom.


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everybody! I'm so veryy veryy verry sorry about not updating for a freakishly ong time. It was a combination of major writer's block, procrastination (sp?) and not really feeling like writing. Well, I'm back. It's going to be hard for me to post regularly because of my school schedule, but I'll try my best. I will most likely be posting sometime during the weekends. Well, enjoy!

_**Johnny's POV**_

I could hear the sound of Jamie bouncing off the door. Darry sat down in his chair, rubbing his temples. Maybe this wasn't the best time to be here. I stood up, ready to head out the door, when I felt a hand grip my wrist.

"Where ya going Johnnycakes?"

"Just out Dal."

"Well, don't go wondering too far. Them socs have been on the prowl lately, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Sure thing Dal." He let go of my wrist and I walked out on to the porch. I stopped and looked up at the darkening sky.

"Why do you have to make me feel so guilty?" I muttered to the open sky, referring to Jamie. I had kept the secret of her and the soc for a while, and now that the gang knew about it, I felt so guilty.

I sighed and made my way down the stairs. Not knowing were I was going, I let myself get lost in my thoughts, which were mostly fill with Jamie, her boyfriend, and Dally. It wasn't until I nearly tripped over a rock that I realized that I was at the lot. I sat down on the car seat and let my thoughts take over me again. Then, something hit me.

"Steve." I looked around to make sure no one heard me, and then began putting together the pieces.

When Jamie first came, she and Steve got along well enough. About a month of living here, it seemed like Steve found some reason to hate her. Then, in the car, it seemed like he didn't want Jamie sitting on him. Since then, he's been avoiding her. And if had to be near her, he wouldn't talk to her. And yet it made perfect sense.

Because I was so quiet, I saw things that other people, like loud-mouth Two-Bit, didn't. Whenever I was hanging out at the DX, and Jamie wasn't there, Steve didn't really seem on task. And when she was around, he was always looking over at her.

I remember once, he could me staring at him staring at Jamie. I cocked my eyebrow, as if asking him a question. Think back on it now, I knew what Steve was thinking. He thought I was asking him if he liked her, to which he slightly nodded and looked away from both her and me.

"That's why he's acting like a asshole, he likes her and she was going out with the soc guy." I got up and began looking for the football that the gang usually tosses around. We usually just leave it here. And I needed something to get my mind off things.

I had just spotted it when I heard an engine being gunned. I spun around, seeing a blue Mustang pull up. Shit, this wasn't a good thing.

"Hey grease ball, what ya doin here by yer lonesome? Mommy and Daddy kick you out again?" I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my blade.

Flicking out, I said, "You're out of you're territory soc. You better beat it."

"Oh, is that right? Well, I guess we'd better teach you a lesson." He motioned to the car, and four guys tumbled out. My guess is that they were drunk. "Get em guys." They made their way up to me. I lunged at the closest one, swinging my blade at him. He dodged me and gave me a punch on my back. That sent me tumbling onto the ground. I felt pain shoot through my body as one of them started kicking me in the stomach. Then, the soc stopped. The one who I had talked to earlier, who I assumed to be the leader, crouched down to my level. Grabbing my collar with one hand, he brought his hand back. I noticed that it was covered with rings. He sent it crashing into the side of my face. My head spun to the side, and I could feel the blood dripping down it. He let the rest of the socs back on me again. After a few more blows to my stomach, ribs, and back. I blacked out.

The only thing I could see was black. I tried moving, but I couldn't. Then the memories came flooding back. The Mustang, the soc with the rings, everything. Even the things that I had blacked out for. I could see the kicking my for what seemed like hours, but it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. But what I didn't know was how long I was out. By the looks of things, a few hours

I felt the tears start to build up. The pain was too much to bear, and the memories were just as bad. 'I must be going crazy' I thought to myself, 'I'm starting to hear voices.' I moaned, hoping it wasn't more socs, and praying that it was the gang.

Then, there were footsteps. They were coming towards me. I could barely make out the shapes of six figures. As they got closer, I realized that my prayers had been answered; it was the gang.

Soda got to me first, and rolled me onto my back. A wave of pain shot through my whole body, and I let out a moan, followed by the tears that I couldn't keep back any more.

"God Johnny, are you okay? Please be okay."

"Soda…"

"Shhh, Johnny don't talk. Just relax." I could see the pain and worry in his eyes.

"Th-there were so many. I was lo-looking for the foot……ball, There came out of nowhere. I couldn't hold them off. I was so scared. It hurt so much." I could feel myself falling back into the darkness. It hurt too much to talk, but I had to let them know what happened. They were my family.

I looked at the faces of the gang. Pony was close to bawling, and Two-Bit wasn't far behind. Steve was holding my jacket, with a look of pity and anger on his face. I could see his hands balled up into fists. Darry wasn't moving, he just stood there, looking at me. And Dally, Dally looked like he was going to be sick. It was unnerving. Then, everything went black.

_**Darry's POV**_

I stood there, listening to Johnny. I knew the socs were getting rowdy again, but I never would have guessed that they would go for Johnny. He barely talked as it was, this wasn't going to help. And to think that Jamie was just starting to get him to talk. "Come on, we've got to get him home. It won't do any good just standing here doing nothing for him.

I bent down to get him from Soda. As I was going to lift him up, I was forced to pry Soda's hands off him.

"Come on little Buddy, I gotta get him home." He let go, and I stood up. I wasted no time getting home. The cut on the side of his face didn't look too good, and I knew the risks of getting infection were high. If it wasn't treated soon, it could make everything worse. I kicked open the door, and laid him on the couch.

Everyone was directly behind me, and it wasn't helping. "Everybody, sit down, I need to think." They did as I said. "Soda, get me the first aid kit and a warm washcloth. Dally; you better get your sister. She needs to know about this." He left the group and unlocked the door. She was out of her room in an instant, hearing the commotion from before.

"Johnny, no! Please wake up!" She pushed herself passed everyone and threw herself next to the couch. "Come on Johnny, you gotta wake up! You gotta be okay!" I pulled her to her feet, and steered her to the person closest to me.

Soda was back with the supplies. "Dally, I'm gonna need your help. You've seen this before, you've lived through this. You're the only one who can do this."

He sighed and stepped forward. "Hand me the alcohol and a cotton ball. I gotta clean up the side of his face before it get infected."

_**Jamie's POV**_

I could feel Darry lifting me to my feet and steering me into someone. I didn't care who it was, all I knew was that one of my closest friends was hurt and I couldn't do anything to help him. The person pulled me close to them and wrapped their arms tightly around me.

"It'll be alright Jamie. He's gonna be fine. You just gotta calm down." I nodded into his chest and tried to stop the tears from falling. It was kind of hard to do when I could feel the racing pulse of the person holding me. His chest, whose ever it was, was rising and falling rapidly, similar to a person close to crying themselves. After a few moments, I was able to stop crying.

I looked up to see who it was that was holding me, comforting me, making me feel so safe. I was met with the once hard and cold face of Steve Randle. My breath hitched in my throat. The past couple months, Steve acted like he hated me. Why the sudden change? I thought back to something Tessa had once said.

"_**Hey, I'm a woman, same as you. I do know a few things that the boys don't," she said shrugging.**_

"_**Like what?" I asked. I wanted to know what else she knew about me.**_

"_**Oh, just the fact that even though you're going out with a guy that is, pardon my phrasing, out of your league. And that you're also have the hots for one of our fellow friends."**_

_**I didn't know what she was talking about. The only person from the gang that I had ever liked was Two-Bit, but that was ages ago. Okay, maybe a few months ago, but still, it seemed like a lifetime ago. **_

"_**Oh yeah, and who might that be?" I asked. **_

"_**Steve Randle."**_

I had never really liked him as anything more than a friend. He was an asshole sometimes, but I never really felt anything towards him. But what about the other way around? Could Steve Randle like me?


	20. Chapter 20

Wow...twice in one day! That's a new record for me! WooHoo. More to come soon!

_**Soda's POV**_

As soon as Jamie closed the door, Darry turned to Steve.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, calmly but with a fierceness that was only used when he wanted to know something, and know it now.

"What are talking about?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what I'm talking about. I'm not stupid Steve, and I'm not that much older than you are. But what I want to know is why you were feeling Jamie up."

"You were what?!" Dally asked, jumping up from his spot on the couch. He started moving forward but Two-Bit held him back.

"How the hell was I feeling her up, huh? I was comforting her, like I knew I should be doing. You know damn well that I don't treat her like a fing princess like Soda does, I treat her like one of us, a regular old greaser. But when she needs someone to be there for her, I'll treat her right, damn it. So don't you go tellin' me how to make her feel better."

I watched as Steve scowled and walked out the door.

"Darry, I'm gonna after him."

"I don't know about that Little Buddy…"

"Darry, I know how he is, he my best buddy. I gotta find out what's going on with him." I didn't even wait for an answer; I just walked out the door. I looked around for him as I jogged down the front stairs. I saw him sitting on the curb not far down the street. Walking up to him, I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You gotta tell them sometime Steve. They have a right to know." I said, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah? And get my head pounded in by them? I don't think so."

"And how else to expect to get close to her?"

"I don't. I plan to stay away from her like that. I'm just gonna be another one of the guys to her. So I'm just gonna leave it at that."

"No you're not. If you don't tell them, then I will."

"Like hell you are Soda. If you do, I'll bust your head open." he growled at me.

"Not likely," I started off. "You know you want her, and if you plan on getting her, then they have to know."

"Whatever, go tell them if you want to, but I ain't saying nothing." Getting up, I smacked Stevie upside the head.

"Wimp." And with that, I walked into the house, finally knowing why he was being stubborn and what I could do about it.

Closing the door behind me, I walked over to where Darry was sitting in his armchair.

"Darry, I gotta talk to you for a sec."

"Sure, Little Buddy," he said getting up and leading us into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"I know what's going on with Steve, and there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Do you think we could somehow get Steve and Jamie together."

"I don't know, but you better ask Jamie about how she feels about him before you go start playing matchmaker."

"Sure thing." I walked from the kitchen and into Jamie's room. "Hey, Jamie, I gotta question for you."

"What?" she asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

"Ok, now I'm not saying anything, just humor me on this. What do you think of Steve?"

"Dunno, never really thought about it. I guess he's an okay guy. Why? What are you planning?"

"I'm not planning anything, it's just that there's this girl who comes to the DX a lot, and she's takin' a liking to Stevie. She wanted to know what people thought about him, and I told her that I got my' friend's sister living at my house, and I would get a girl's opinion for her."

"Oh really? And what exactly would you like me to tell you?"

"Oh, just why you would think Steve would be a good boyfriend."

"Ok, uh, I guess because he's strong and stuff. He's pretty protective, or so I've heard. Pretty good looking, jealous, which can be good at times, knows about cars, and that's about it, I guess. Unless you can think of any other reasons, Sodapop."

"No, that's good what you got. Thanks Jamie." And I walked out the door, leaving her a little confused and, I think, a bit suspicious, which may or may not be a good thing.

_**Steve's POV**_

As I walked in the house, I was met with a big grin from Soda.

"What's got you so happy?"

"Come on Steve-o, we're gonna go for a little walk. There's some thing I have to talk to you about." He didn't leave me any time to say anything as he pushed me back out the door.

"Wadda ya want Soda?"

"You're not going to believe this Steve, but I got Jamie to tell me what she thinks of you."

"Oh, really?" I asked. Soda nodded enthusiastically, a smirk playing along his lips. "What did you do her?"

"Oh, Steve! I'm appalled! How could you accuse me of doing something to her?" I gave him a DO-YOU-THINK-I'M STUPID? look. He laughed and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Naw, I didn't do anything, just a little persuasive indirect asking."

"And what did she say?"

"Said you were strong, protective, jealous, pretty good looking, and knows about cars."

"So tell me Sodapop, how exactly is this supposed to make me feel better?

"Well buddy o' pal, I think I can come up with a way of getting the two of you together," Soda said, slinging an arm over my shoulders.

"That's really great Soda, except for one thing. Dally ain't gonna take too kindly to it."

"Now don't you worry about a thing Steve-o, I've got everything under control. You just wait and see. Come on, let's head back, I've already got a plan."

I sighed to myself as Soda dragged by back to the house. How I got myself into this mess, I have no idea, but I don't think I'm getting out of it anytime soon.

"Hey Darry," he called out as we walked in the door. "How do you feel if me and Steve here take the kids out for a while tomorrow?"

"It's fine with me Soda; they'll need to get out of the house after what just happened." Soda turned and grinned at me. I shook my head. Sometimes I wondered what went through his mind. I just hopped that whatever eh was planning wasn't going to end in me getting my ass kicked by Dally.


	21. Chapter 21

**IMPORTANT MEMO! PLEASE READ!**

_**I'm so sorry I haven't update in almost 3 months! First, the stupid people shut off my internet for a while because of some stupid reason. Second, I've ahad a major case of writer's block. Third, I had fina;s to worry about, along with multiple end-of-the-year projects, all due at the same time. But since, I'm on break now, I should have pleanty of time to write. I know I'll be updating a lot more, because I've only been out for about 4 days and I'm already bored out of my mind. So yeah. Oh, and to all that have reviewed -you know who you are- I'm sorry, but my computer won't let me access the reviews that I got over the past few months. All the other ones are fine, but it's just those select few. So thanks for reviewing, but I sadly don't know what you said. But I know it was good and encouraging. And now, I'm back, so you all have nothing to fear. And don't hesitate to review, because I'm going to get my computer working with fan fiction. Well, enough of my incessant rambling. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to chapter 21!**_

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I woke up the next morning with a stiff back. Johnny was still unconscious on the couch, and Dally was fast asleep In Darry's chair. Two-Bit was on the floor, like me, but he seemed to be rather comfortable. Standing up, I stretched and made my way into the kitchen. I casually glanced at the clock as I opened the fridge door. 7:30 in the morning. Damn, it was too early to be up on break, but I knew I was never going to fall back asleep

again.

I sat down at the kitchen table with a piece of chocolate cake in hand, wondering what Soda had planned for today. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts, because the next thing I knew, Soda came bounding out of his room. Looking back at the clock, I realized it was almost 10:00. Damn.

"You almost ready to go Steve-o?"

"Soda, didn't your just get your ass out of bed?"

"Yeah, but by the looks of it, you've been up for hours."

"I have"

"What, couldn't wait for your future to be determined by me?"

"Soda, why don't you go take your shower .May it'll calm you down a bit." He saluted me before marching into the bathroom.

**- the amount it takes to talk for a few hours and trying to convince Pony to stay with Johnny( not that he needed much convincing) later – **

Me, Soda, and Jamie were walking down the sidewalk towards the drive-in. Soda was dancing all over the place, occasionally walking on his hands. I was getting to the point where I wanted to bash his head when we got to the back fence.

"After you Steve," Soda said, ushering me towards the hole. Quickly, I dropped to the ground and went through the hole. Jamie went next. As soon as she was all the way through, I offered to help her up. She took my hand and I pulled her up. Finally, Soda flew under the fence and we went and sat down. I didn't know what movie was supposed to be about, but I wasn't really surprised when Soda made Jamie sit in the middle.

"Hey y'all, I'll be right back. I think I just saw someone that I know," Soda said, wiggling his eyebrows. As he got and walked away, I watched him to see where he was going. I saw him approach Sandy and start making out with her. 'Great' I thought to myself. 'So this is his infamous plan; to leave me and Jamie alone by going and spending the rest of the night with Sandy.

Apparently realizing this too, Jamie gave a defeated sort-of sigh and slumped into her seat. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.

"Why do you hate me Steve?"

The question caught me completely off guard. "What?"

"You heard me, why do you hate me so much?"

"Where'd you get that from Jamie? I never said that I hated you."

"Well it's kind of obvious when you glare at me every time I go anywhere near you and Soda. And don't pretend like you don't, because you know you do."

"Well, I hate to break it to you Princess, but you've got it all wrong."

"Oh, I do?" She said, turning to face me. "Would you care to explain? Because as far as I can see, I'm completely right." Damn, she fed me the bait and I took it. Damn!

"I don't have to explain it to you Jamie, because you're wrong. "

"Ugg! You're so dense! I can't believe you!" she cried out, standing up and walking towards the back fence.

"Jamie, wait up!" I called to her, chasing after her. By the time I reached her, she was already halfway under the fence. I reached out and grabbed her foot to try and stop her.

"Let me go Steve!"

"No, not until I know why you're so pissed off at me right now!" I said, my voice slightly raising, and not letting go of her foot.

"I'm pissed off at you because you're a complete idiot! You don't get anything unless someone spells it out for you!" Her words surprised me. What didn't I get?

"Jamie, is everything okay here?" a voice said as the figure came up behind her. I looked up and saw what looked to be a well-dressed middle-classer. He almost looked kind of socy.

"Yeah Shane," she said, pulling out of my grasp. "Everything's just peachy" Glaring down at me, she left with the Shane guy. I just lied there for a minute, processing what just happened. When I finally got me head back together, I raced under the fence and went after them, hoping to find out who he was and where they were going.

_**JAMIE'S POV**_

I had to say that I was shocked to see Shane again. I hadn't seen him since our little ordeal with Dally a while back.

"What are you doing here Shane?" I asked him.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? Am I not allowed to see you or something?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I haven't seen you for a while. Kind of like 'where have you been'."

Well, I tried to keep my distance in school and stuff, just in case you had your own personal body guards or something. And other than that, I really haven't seen you around for awhile."

"Yeah, well I've had a lot going on."

"I could see that." he chuckled, no doubt referring back to the drive-in.

"Well, it's a funny story."

"I have no doubt about it. Care to explain?"

"It's kind of a long story, but I'll give you the short version."

"I'd appreciate it," he said, sitting next to me on a nearby picnic table.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," I said sarcastically. "But seriously, it started a while ago, when I was sitting in my room. My friend Soda came in and asked what I thought about the guy that you saw at the movies, Steve. He said it was because there was this regular customer who came to the DX, where they both work, and she had taken a liking to Steve. He said that he told her that he would get a girl's opinion about him. You know, just to know what she was getting herself into."

"What did you tell him?"

"Well, I told him that he wasn't too bad looking (just for the sake of not calling his best friend ugly and trying to get the girl to like him more), and that he was protective and good with cars. I think that's about it. Anyway, tonight Soda asked me and Ponyboy, Soda's younger brother, if we wanted to go to the movies. Pony wanted to stay with our one friend, who just got beat up by a bunch of Socs. I figured that since I haven't been out of the house for a while, I'd go. Well, we got to the drive-in, when Soda spotted his girlfriend. He left me and Steve to go over and make out with her. Then we got to arguing, and I tried storming away, when I had my pleasant encounter with you. And here we are."

"That was the short version?"

"You know, the longer version probably would have taken up a couple of hours."

"Never mind," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I laid my head on his shoulder and put one of my arms around his waist. We stayed that way for a while before Shane broke the silence. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what were you and that guy Steve fighting about?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I'm pretty sure that it had something to do with us."

"With us?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm a greaser, you're a soc. And after they found out about us through my brother, I don't think they've ever really accepted that fact that I sill have feelings for you."

"You do now, do you?" he said, smirking down at me. I laughed and playfully hit him on the back of his head.

"Now, don't you go getting any ideas," I said, sitting up, only being mock angry. And to let him know that, I smiled.

"It's kind of hard not to when you have the most beautiful girl in the world sitting right next to you and knowing that she's yours."

"That's so sweet," I sighed, putting a hand over my heart. I think you deserve something for your excellent way with words."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Just close your eyes and you'll find out." He did as I said. I gave him a quick, but hard, shove and he went right over the edge of the picnic table. Laughing, I made a break for it.

It wasn't long before Shane was back on his feet and chasing after me. He tackled me to the ground and sent both of us rolling. He ended up on top of me.

"Now do I get my real prize?" Smiling, I nodded, and leaned by as he came down. Our lips met in the middle. As we were making out, he pushed me back down, so I was lying on my back. After a few minutes, I felt his hands start to push my shirt up.

"Shane, stop." I said, trying to push him off of me. His body didn't budge, and he suddenly pinned my arms down with his hands.

"Oh, come on now Jamie, you know you want this." he said, bring his lips down on my neck.

"Shane, get the hell off me!" I yelled, fighting back with everything I had. Without warning, I felt his hand come in contact with my face, leaving me cheek stinging.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" he fumed, applying even more pressure on my wrists. As I was trying to escape, I heard footsteps coming towards us.

"Jamie?" I heard a voice call out. I almost immediately recognized it as Steve's. As I took a breath, planning to yell out his name, Shane's lips crashed down on mine. I could hear Steve coming closer to us. When he reached us, I heard him grunt in disgust.

"That's really great Jamie, just fucking great." he spat. Then I head his footsteps start to retreat.

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IMPORTANT MEMO HERE TOO! NOT AS IMPORTANT AT THE FIRST BUT STILL IMPORTANT! 

HAHAHA - I'm so evil, leaving you with a cliff hanger after not updating in almost 3 months. insert evil laughter here Yeah, sorry about that, but I could resist? But good ending, no? Haha...well, review review review! And because I have so much time on my hands, I should have the next chapter up by Wednesday - Thursday at the latest. Oh, and try to have a good day. : ) P.S. - remember that you all 3 me, so try your best not to kill me. If anything, this is a pretty mellow ending. Wait until you see the end of chap. 23-ish. I have a greatly evil cliffhanger planned. Again, insert evil laughter here


	22. Chapter 22

**_Hey Guys! Yeah, It's been in insanely long time since I last updated, but school's been a real pain the past few months. I've had so much work to do, that I've hardly been out, even during the weekends. Sad, I know, but hey, what can I do? Anywho, on a happier note, you get a double chapter update!! Normally, I would have only put up one chapter, but thanks to ElOsoDelNieve_**, **_you get two chapters! And I'm so mean, chapter 23 has a pretty big cliffie, although I'm sure your smart minds can figure it out when you read it, it's nothing comapred to what I have in mind, I just have to get there. Wel,, once again, Ladies and Gents, here is chapter 22!!!_**

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_**JAMIE'S POV**_

As Shane released my lips to get air, I took my only chance to save myself.

"Steve! Help!" I saw him turn around, an angry / surprised look on his face. That's when I felt the wing being knocked out of me, thanks to a blow to the stomach from Shane. Almost immediately, Steve's expression changed and he came running over to me. There wasn't much I could do because of the fact that I had no air.

That soon changed when Steve tacked Shane and they both went flying. I just lay there, trying to regain myself. There wasn't much else I could do. A couple of minutes later, Steve was standing over me with a bruised cheek and a cut about his left eyebrow.

"You okay Jamie?" he asked as he kneeled down next to me. I sat up and put a hand over my still stinging cheek.

"Yeah, I'm fine Steve. Thanks." I looked over to where Shane was lying. He was sprawled across the grass, unconscious.

"Come on Jamie," Steve said, standing up and offering me his hand. I took it and he pulled me up.

"You're a little bloodied up there Steve. You okay?"

"Yeah Jamie, I'm fine," he said, wiping the blood off of his face with the back of his hand. I noticed that he winced a little when he touched the cut.

"Bull," I said, stopping to examine the cut. It wasn't too deep, but it was deep enough to the point where I figured it would leave some sort of mark. "Come on, I'll take you to get you cleaned up."

"You know, Dally's going to want to know what happened." he stated, as I started dragging him away from where we were standing.

"Who said I was taking you to the Curtis'." He shrugged and let himself by led to the unknown destination. A few minutes later, I was knocking on Tim Shepard's from door.

"Curly opened the door and stared at me, then looked at Steve. "What the hell?" he said, opening the door so we could go in.

"Hiya Curley. We're not going to be staying too long. I just need to use you're first aid kit."

"Yeah, I can see that Well, you know where it is. And don't let me catch you guys doing anything else up there."

"Ha ha ha, you're hilarious Curley."

"That's why you love me."

"You keep on thinking that and we'll see what happens," I smirked. Then I led Steve up the stairs and into the bathroom. Closing the door I told him to sit. He did what I told him to, but he never stopped staring at me. "What?"

"Why'd you do it Jamie?"

"Do what Steve," taking what I needed from the box.

"You know what. Why'd you go off with that guy?"

"Steve," I sighed, pouring some rubbing alcohol onto a cotton swab. "That soc guy was my boyfriend. I thought I could trust him."

"Yeah, you could really trust him alright," he sneered. Becoming agitated, I put the cotton swab right on the cut, without warning. "Fuck!" he shouted, jerking back. "That fucking hurt!"

"Well, maybe if you didn't try pissing me off, I would have to do that."

"Whatever" he grumbled, accepting defeat. "So, tell me Jamie, why did you ever want tot go out with a soc anyway?"

"You wouldn't understand." I said, throwing the cotton swab away and placing a band aid over the cut.

"Try me," he said back.

"Come on," I said, opening the door. "Before Curley jumps to conclusions." He nodded and stood up. As I pushed him out the front door of the house, I shouted my thanks to Curley, who was somewhere in the house.

"So Jamie," he said as we began walking. "You wanna tell me now."

"I sighed. "Steve, I really don't know why I went out with him." He snorted and I shot him a glare before continuing. "I guess it was because I had feeling for someone else before. But then some unexpected complications came up and I had to stop liking him cold turkey. Shane was the only guy after that happened that really made me feel special.

I guess I never really felt anything for him" Just a physical attraction."

"Oh, I see." he said.

"Steve, can I ask you something?" I asked, turning to him. He nodded.

"Why were you such an asshole at the drive-in?" I watched as Steve scratched the back of his head as he turned a very, very light shade of pink.

"Well, I was kinda under the impression that I was the person in the world that you hated the most. And I couldn't believe how stubborn you were being when I told you that I didn't hate you. You were just kinda annoying me, is all." I sighed and shook my head.

"You know Steve, you don't have to lie to me." He stopped walking and after a few more steps, I turned to face him. "I know all about you liking me. And frankly, I knew why you were mad at me. It was because you, for some strange reason, didn't want me knowing about your crush on me, and you knew that I knew. And he reason I got mad at you was because you were completely lying to me."

Regaining his composure, I saw a slight smirk play along his lips. "And why would you care if I was lying to you?"

I felt the blood rushing to my face as he continued smirking at me. "I cared because you're one of my really good friends and I didn't want out "friendship" to be purely based on lies. And besides, I think you just have just told me that you liked me, especially when I already knew about it."

"What would you have done Jamie?"

"Huh?"

"What would you have done if I did tell you that I liked you instead of "lying" to you?"

"I dunno." I said shrugging. Then a thought occurred to me. "Hey Steve, what are we going to tell the gang?"

"Well," he said beginning to walk again. We could always tell them the truth."

"And risk getting my head bashed in by multiple people? I don't think so."

"You know, we could always change which truth we tell them." He smirked, as we came upon the house.

"You mean lie to them?"

"I didn't say lie to them. Well, not completely anyway. Just changed how things happened (like how we got our bruises) and tell them the truth about what happened after that."

"And what did happen after that, Steve?"

"Well, we got cleaned up at Shepard's', then we talked for a while as we came beck here."

"But how did we get our bruises?" I asked, hoping that he would help me come up with some sort of good, believable story.

"You'll figure something out Jamie; you always do." He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before walking into the house. I stood there for a moment, bringing myself back into reality before I quickly made up a plan.

_**TWO-BIT'S POV**_

I was sitting at the kitchen table, playing poker with Dally, when Steve came in and flopped down on the couch.

"Hey there Steve-o. Where'd the rest of your posse go to?"

"Oh, they're right outside; they'll be here in a second." Almost on cue, Soda and Jamie came walking in. As Jamie moved into the light, I saw a bruise forming on the side of her cheek.

"Hey Jamie, come over here for a sec, will ya?" She nodded and walked over to where I was sitting. I grasped her chin and turned her face into the light. Sure enough, a huge bruise was beginning to form on the side of her face. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Well, you see, it's actually a very funny story. Soda, Steve, and I we re walking down the street when Steve tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. He fell and cut his head on a rock, which also explains the bruise on his face. As for me, I didn't notice the crack either, so I tripped on it too. I actually fell right onto poor Steve's hand, which was there to keep my head from hitting the ground too hard, which explains why the bruise on the side of my face looks like a hand. It was actually pretty funny."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Pretty hilarious. You sure Stevie tripped on a crack in the sidewalk on didn't slip on some of the hair grease that's piled on top of his head a threatening to spill off anyway?" I started laughing when Steve turned around and glared at me, flicking me off. I couldn't help it; his face was just too funny. Dally even cracked a smile at it too.

Jamie just shook her head and went and sat on the couch next to Steve and Soda. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed very content sitting at the edge of the couch, her feet propped up on Steve's lap. Smirking, I went back to the poker game. I just hoped that Jamie knew what she was doing.


	23. Chapter 23

**_This one's for you ElOsoDelNieve, because you inspired me to update and get this chapter out a heck of a lot sonner than it would have been. Kudos to you!

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_**DARRY'S POV **_

I watched Jamie prop her feet on Steve's lap and grin at him. Soda shot me an award-winning grin before going back to his conversation with his two friends. So I guess Soda did it, he got two polar opposites to get together. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what he was so happy about.

I went back to reading my paper, occasionally glancing up at the love-struck teens. They seemed pretty content at the moment, but I didn't know how long that would last. Looking over at her family, Two-Bit didn't seemed the least bit phased by what was happening, at least, he didn't show any sign of it. Dally, on the other hand, was eyeing the two of them suspiciously. I turned back to them, hoping that Dally was only glaring at the situation, not at something that Steve was doing.

Jamie's feet were still on Steve, and he had his hand resting on her legs; both of them were in a relaxed state. Sensing that I was watching, Jamie looked at me, giving me a knowing shrug. I didn't know exactly what she meant by it, by I could only assume that it had to do with her and Steve.

Soda stood up and motioned for me to follow him. I did, he was leaning against the kitchen counter, giving me a look.

"What's up little buddy?"

"Darry, I know how you are, and I just want to let you know that it's okay. It may not seem like it at times, but I think that Jamie and Steve really do care about each other. I know that you're gonna worry about Jamie, it's in your nature, but just give it time. You could be wrong."

"What are you talking about?" I walked over to my little brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Soda, you gotta tell me what you're talking about; right now, you've got me completely confused."

"I know how you think Darry. You're thinking that Steve isn't good enough for Jamie – and maybe you're right – but he really cares about her. I know him Darry, he's not going to let anything happen to her."

Sighing, I let my hand drop from his shoulder. "Soda, you have to know how I feel. She's your baby sister too. I don't think anyone of us is good enough for her, but if Steve cares about her like you say he does, then I'm gonna give him a chance."

Smiling, Soda ran out of the kitchen, back to where his two friends were. "Hey guys," I heard him shout," it's gonna be okay. Darry's giving you a chance together!"

"Oh Sodapop," Jamie said. "You didn't actually go talk to him about this, did you?"

"You bet I did! And you better be thankful little missy, because I just gave you the chance of a lifetime."

_**TESSA'S POV**_

I can't believe I have to do this to them. They've been so accepting of me, that I almost feel like backing down. Almost.

Darry's…amazing. There's no other way to describe him. He's so caring, and sweet, and everything! It breaks my heart to do this, knowing how it will affect him, knowing how much he cares about Jamie. He'll be devastated. And then there's everybody else. Two-Bit likes poking fun at me, but I know he means well. He's only doing it because he cares. Dallas, well, I don't think that Dallas fully trusts my motives, but he hasn't said anything to me. I'm just hoping that he isn't getting to suspicious. Ponyboy and Johnny seem to be okay with me. They also make it hard, because their trust in me is constantly growing.

Sodapop is one of my biggest obstacles. He loves Jamie like a little sister. They all do, but Jamie and Sodapop's connection seems to be the strongest. I once talked with him, one of the days I stayed up late, and he kept going back to Jamie. He was saying that she was going places in life, and he was so proud of her. Once or twice, he even called her his little sister. I can just imagine the look on his face when he finds out. Just the image of his face is almost enough to make me breakdown and cry. Almost.

Steve Randle, the strong one of the group. I've know for a while that he feels for Jamie, and I hope to God that he gets over it. I can't imagine what he'll do. Darry once told me about Steve's homelife. He didn't go into details, but I got the picture. It was shit. And until Jamie came along, he didn't know if Sodapop was going to loose this best friend or not. Jamie meant the world to him, and once he found out what happened, his world would go crashing.

But Jamie…I can't help but feel for her. She's gone through hell, but she stays strong, for the gang, her friends, her family. What I'm about to do will change her entire life, and possibly shatter it. Despite all that's she's been though, and the strength that she exhibits, I'm not sure if she's strong enough to handle what's about to come. I know about her addiction, and this might just send her over the edge. I hope not, though – I may be mean and ruthless, but I'm not evil. I know that Jamie's never fully trusted me, ever since she saw me and Darry together, but I've never given her any reason to. But after this, she won't have to worry anymore. I'll be gone, for good. As for her, I don't know where she'll end up. I just hope it's not ten feet under.

Pulling myself together, I stepped through the doors of the building in front of me. It was now or never, and I just wanted to get this over with.

"Can I help you, Miss?" The man behind the counter asked me.

"Yes, officer, you can. I have the name of the murder from a murder case a few years ago. The New York Butchery, I believe it was called."

"And you're telling me that you know who killed that young couple?"

"Yes, it was…"


	24. Chapter 24

_**Hello all of my faithful readers out there in Internet Land!! Yeah, I think I'm getting better at updating now. I've reduced the time dramatically! Well, before, I had mid-terms, a double lab report, and stress to bring up my language grade. So yeah, I was a bit booked. But, now it's a four day weekend, and I have an extremely fantastic cahpter for you all (not to toot my own horn or anything). I'll think you'll really enjoy it! Oh, and thanks to all who reviewed / added me to some list of theirs! Many thanks! I love it when you people do that for me! And I'll try to put up another chapter by Tuesday, but no promises, you all know how I am wit hupdating...But yes, I really do think you'll enjoy this chapter. Happy reading!!!

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JAMIE'S POV**_

My bed seemed lumpier than usual that night. Despite that face that I was more than happy that I was (unofficially) with Steve, I just couldn't find my inner peace and fall asleep. Sighing to myself, I tossed back the covers and let my feet slide down to the cold, hard-wood floor beneath me. The weather had forecasted some heavy snow flurries a while ago when Darry was watching the evening news, and it turns out that the weather people can occasionally be right.

Throwing on a sweatshirt and a pair of socks, I slowly made my way out of my room; the gang would skin me if they knew what I was doing. It wasn't until I reached the end of the hallway, where I was able to see the front door, that I realized that I had a slight problem. Dally, Two-Bit, Steve, and Johnny were all sleeping in the living room.

Now I pretty much knew all of the guys to be fairly heavy sleepers, but on a cold night like tonight, I couldn't be sure of anything. I figured that the safest way for me to get out would be to grab my shoes and then head out the back door. That way, I wouldn't risk waking the guys up and I wouldn't leave a trail of footprints going down the porch, right where everybody would be able to see.

As I was making my way around the limp limbs of Two-Bit and Steve to my shoes, I couldn't help but notice how young and innocent Steve looked, just lying there. I'd heard of all that "people look younger when they sleep" stuff, but I never really cared to pay any of it any attention. I guess all of those philosophical people weren't so stupid after all.

Once I had my shoes in hand, I crept back over the arms and legs of my friends to the back door. The door creaked slightly as I opened it. Stopping, I prayed that no one, especially Dally or Darry would hear it. I guess luck was on my side tonight. I slipped into my shoes, not bothering to untie them, and closed the door behind me as I stepped into the cold night.

The sweatshirt that I had on really didn't do anything to keep the cold out, and I soon found myself shivering. But despite the fact that I was cold, I didn't want to go back in the house. I needed to be free for just a little while. Well, sitting down was out of the option (because of the snow on the ground), and so was just standing around freezing my ass off. That only leaves one option.

Looking back at the silent house one more time, I walked towards the fence at the back of the tiny yard. I knew that if I could get to the other side of it, then I would be home free. Then I could get to the front of the house without leaving any tracks. Just as I got to the top of the high metal barrier, I lost my balance. Letting out a small yelp, I tumbled off the fence and into the snow on the other side. I held my breath, just lying there, once again hoping that no one heard me. After I was sure that the coast was clear, I jumped to my feet and took off to the front. I didn't know how long I was going to be out, but I hoped that it wasn't going to be too long.

_**STEVE'S POV**_

"Shit it's cold," I muttered to myself, trying to warm myself up. This is the only time of year where I truly wished for the warmth of my own bed. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was the cold. Figuring there wasn't anything I could really do, I tried to fall back asleep. I was almost out when I heard a noise come from outside. I sat up and listened for it again, but it never came.

Sighing, I got up and made my way to Jamie's room. There was always the possibility of bunking with her for the night and stealing some of her body heat. I creaked open the door and looked inside, expecting to see her sleeping soundly. Well, that's not what I got. Instead there was no one there. My mind began racing through the possibilities. Then I put two and two together. 'What if the noise outside was Jamie?'

I threw on my shoes and quietly raced to the back door, not wanting to wake anyone else up. As I opened the door, I saw footprints, her footprints leading me to the back of the yard. I followed them over the fence and to the front of the house, where they continued down the street. Not having any idea exactly how fast she was moving, I ran in the directing of the prints, hoping to catch up with her before anything happened to her.

"Jamie." I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw her, safe, leaning up against a sign post, looking at the sky. I walked to her, causing her to look up at me with a warm smile.

"Hey Steve," she said quietly, straightening her posture. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same question. And besides you should know better than to go wandering out by yourself at night." She looked down, just seeming to realize this. "Hey," I said gently lifting her face back up, and looking into her eyes. "As long as you're safe, it doesn't matter."

"Thanks Steve," She said, blushing slightly. I smirked down at her; but my smirk soon turned into a frown when I saw her shiver. "Heh, I guess I should have dressed a little warmer, huh?"

"No kidding." I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her. "But you know, we really should head back. It's pretty cold out and I don't want you to get sick."

"All this coming from a guy who's only wearing a long-sleeve shirt." Damn. Now that she mentioned it, I could suddenly feel the wind going right through me. She laughed, and I probably would have done more if I didn't feel myself getting colder by the second.

"Steve, why don't you use my sweatshirt; it's technically Darry's anyway, so it'd fit you."

"Are you crazy Jamie? You're cold enough wearing it; you're not taking it off." I stepped back, slightly surprised at just the idea of her giving up her source of warmth for me.

"Oh yeah, and why not?" She asked smugly. I stepped close to her again, smirking.

"Because I said so," I said huskily. I brought my hands to her face, and captured her lips in a searing kiss. I could almost feel the shock running through her, but she soon relaxed and put her hands on my chest, leaning farther into the kiss. I moved my hands to her waist, and pulled her close. I felt her hands move up around my neck and play with the back of my hair. Her taste was so addicting, I couldn't get enough of her. This was our first real kiss. The one that I gave her on her porch might as well have never existed; this one just blew it away. I didn't know how far I should take it; I wanted to go further, but I didn't know if she was ready to yet.

"Steve," she whispered, breaking our connection. "What time is it?" My eyes widening, I thought quickly about it. What time 'was' it? Looking at the sky, I couldn't even begin to see any sign of the sun rising. It still must have been pretty late.

"I dunno, Jamie, one, maybe two o'clock at the latest." Nodding, she seemed to go into deep thought. I just stared at her, both captured by her beauty and not wanting to disturb her. From what I could tell, she was putting her arms inside her sleeves. "Jamie, -"

"Last one to the back yard is a rotten egg!" she shouted out of nowhere. Then she flung off her sweatshirt and threw it in my face. I was stunned. Once it clicked that she had already taken off and had no sweatshirt on, I sprinted after her. I could see her about twenty feet in front of me, nothing but a tank-top covering her torso. I pushed myself harder, wanting to both catch up to her, and win for the sake of winning.

I closed the distance between us pretty quickly, and soon, I was on the verge of passing her up. "Steve!" she cried, laughing. I quickly, but lightly, smacked her ass before taking the lead. I could hear her laughing and shouting at me, but I really didn't care. She's get over it, whether she wanted to or not.

By the time we got back to the house, we were both out of breath. "I…can't believe…you. You are…such a cheater." She said, in mock anger. I patted her on her head before opening the back door. We crept inside and Jamie took out shoes to the front door. While she was doing that, I made my way to her room. Since I had planned on sleeping in here before I had to go hunt her down, I figured I would save myself the extra walking.

"And what do you think you're doing?" A voice asked from the doorway.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm sleeping here tonight." Jamie came up to me and pouted.

"But Stevie, it's my bed, and…"

"And there's room enough for the both of us. And besides, you wouldn't leave me to freeze on the cold living room floor, would you?"

"Sure I would." I was kind of surprised; I wasn't actually expecting her to actually kick me out. "But…I think I can make an exception for tonight, since it is pretty cold and all."

Smirking, I got under the covers and patted the space next to me. Rolling her eyes a bit, she got in next to me, and snuggled into the covers.

"You know, Jamie, I think I'm a little warmer than those covers." She gave me a look that I couldn't exactly read, and snuggled in deeper. "Oh come on, you can't deny that you're not cold from running outside with a tank top on. And you know you want to get closer to me anyway."

"Oh, you're just so sure of yourself, aren't you Randle."

"Not always, Winston, not always. But I am sure of one thing."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm sure that I couldn't possibly live the rest of my life without you." Jamie turned to me, shocked and blushing. "I know it sound corny and stupid, but ever since I first met you, I could never figure out how I felt about you. I decided to just treat you like an outsider, because I didn't know what else to do. And then when I started falling for you, I knew you didn't like me because of how I acted towards you, which kinda pissed me off a bit. Jamie, the only thing I want is for you to be mine, to stay with me…..Jamie, be my girl?"

_**JAMIE'S POV**_

I could feel myself melting. That was easily that sweetest thing that I've ever heard in m life. And to think that it came straight from Steve Randle's mouth! He never got all soft and mushy on people, ever! It was hard to believe that he could be like this, and towards me, no less. There was no possible way I could say no. Even if I didn't like him, I would be so tempted to say yes. But the thing is, I do like him. I like Steve Randle!! Giving him a warm smile, I leaned over and gave him a short, sweet kiss. "I'd love to Steve." I didn't know it then, but things were about to get a lot better, and a lot worse.


	25. Chapter 25

**_Hey everybody! I'm sure you're all glad to know that I'm back!! I know, it's been forever since I've done anything with CYLS , but I decided that its time to bring it back. So here's to all of you who've put up with my lack of writing and everybody that has gotten the least bit of joy out of reading CYLS. I've made it extra long for you guys (13 pgs vs the usual 4) so i hope you enjoy it. Happy reading!!! _**

**_-_MP**

**_p.s. ~~~~ just so you all know, it gets a little detailed near the end. dont worry, nothing too graphic, but you really get every detail that happens. So if you'd perfer to skip over the more...physical M.O.S. scene, then feel free to. I will put ~*~*~ before and after the scene so you know where to skip. If you'd llike to read it just for shits and giggles, then ignore the ~*~*~ and read on through. Just figured i'd be safe/nice and save some of you the embarassment of reading it. Oh, and there is a bit of language in here too. Just fyi. _**

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**__**JAMIE'S POV**_

The rattling of pot and pans woke me from my deep slumber. I moved to sit up, but I found that I couldn't. Steve's arm was wrapped somewhat tightly around my waist, keeping me from going anywhere. 'No normal person could possibly hold on to anything that tight while they're sleeping' I thought to myself as I studied my situation. The way I saw it, I had two options: one was just lying there until either Steve woke up or someone found us, or two, waking him up myself. Since I knew that I had too much to do today, I felt that the second choice would be better, not to mention more fun.

Carefully, I slid Steve's arm off of my waist and turned him onto his back. Hearing him groan, I stopped what I was doing, thinking he was going to wake up. After a moment, when I was sure that he wasn't going to do anything, I carefully straddled his waist. Just as I was leaning down to his face, I was thrown onto my back.

"And you were planning to do what exactly?" Steve asked, pinning me down to the bed.

"Well, I thought I'd be a nice girlfriend and wake you up. But apparently that didn't go as planned.

"Obviously not," he said, smirking down at me. "But since I'm up now, how about giving me a kiss good morning?"

"I think that could be arranged," I said, leaning up on my elbows to reach him. Without warning, Steve slammed his lips onto mine, pushing me back down into the bed. His kiss seemed to send a jolt of energy through my body. Forgetting totally about everyone that existed outside my bedroom door, I deepened the kiss, not wanting it to end.

Just as soon as I felt Steve pulling on my lower lip with his teeth, someone knocked on my door.

"Time to get up Jamie, it's already 8:30," Darry called through the door,

"Okay Darry, I'm up. I'll be out in a minute," I told him, inwardly groaning for the little interruption.

"It better not be too long of a minute Jamie. And you better have slept on the floor Steve or you should rethink about coming out of that room." As his footsteps faded away, I heard Steve let out an agitated groan. Sighing to myself, I moved to get up. Let's just say that didn't go as planned.

"Steve, would you get off me? If I'm not in that kitchen soon, Darry'll have a horse."

"Well, ya know Jamie, Sodapop always did want Mickey Mouse back." he chided, grinning like a Cheshire cat." I slapped him lightly on the arm.

"Smartass. But seriously, move." Steve shot me a look of annoyance and rolled off of me, landing ever so gracefully on the floor.

"Smooth Stevie, real smooth." Laughing to myself, I slid off the bed and walked to the door. But before walking out, I turned back to my man, still sitting on the floor. "Seeing as you're so content with sitting on the floor, you might wanna move to the kitchen floor, or the living room perhaps; because Darry basically said to stay there if you were in my bed. Just a thought." And with that being said, I walked out the door, hearing Steve scramble to his feet behind me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(One Week Later)

"Uh, Steve, we gotta problem." I looked over at Soda, who was looking at something across 53rd Street. Or, should I say someone. Before I could even register who the figure was, I felt Steve's grip on my hand tighten.

"What are you doing over here Evie?" Steve growled as soon as she got closer. We had all stopped walking, and even though I wasn't looking at either boy, I could tell that they were staring her down; because I was doing the exact same thing.

"What? You saying that I'm not allowed to walk around here anymore?" She snapped her gum loudly, giving me the once-over. "So, this is the little slut you left me for Stevie?"

"Shut the hell up Evie! The way I see it, you're the slut, not her!" Steve moved his hand from mine and put it around my waist.

"That's what you think Sweetie, but you don't know the half of it. I heard from a very reliable source that Miss Priss over here and Curly Shepard got together a few months ago. Said that they even heard noises coming up from where Curly's room is." Steve held me tighter: whether it was out of anger towards me or her, I couldn't tell. And I wasn't exactly in the position to find out; I was too appalled by what was coming out of Evie's mouth.

"Screw not hitting a girl…" I heard Soda mutter. I placed a hand on his arm; the last thing I needed was for him to do something stupid.

"And all those times that she was with that rich-ass soc boy? Let's just say she wasn't screaming because she wanted him to stop."

"That's a lie!" The smug look the Evie had plastered on her face was instantly gone. "I was there the day that fucking soc tried to get to her! He was a fucking bastard and I know for a fact that Jamie would never have gone that far with him!"

The surprise on her face only lasted as long as Steve spoke. "And how can you be so sure of that Babe? They went out for a couple months, and you and I both know that that's more than enough time to "get that far". After all, we went out for a little over a month before-" I didn't want to hear what she was going to say, even though I knew what it was. Suddenly, I just felt so dirty. And I know that I'd only been going steady with Steve for a week, but just the thought of him doing it with _her_ made my stomach turn.

"Evie, you know that-"

"Know what? That nobody's perfect? And I'm sure that she knows that better than you do, coming from New York and all. I mean, look at Dallas Winston. He came here with a police record a few blocks long, and that's when he was only ten. But if you absolutely have to be with her, then go ahead. At least you'll have someone even more experienced than you, and that's saying something."

I couldn't take it anymore; something inside of me just snapped. I tore myself out of Steve's hold and started charging at her. "You lying bitch!" I screamed, throwing myself at her. She fell backwards against the pavement, me on top of her. I grabbed a fistful of her dark hair and brought her face up to mine. "You have no idea what my life in New York was like," I hissed, my temper flaring.

"Oh I imagine it to be pretty eventful…" she moved herself until she was right next to my ear. "Considering the fact that even though that Tessa chick can be pretty stupid, she knows all about what happened to your parents. How they begged for death from the murderer that slaughtered them the night of their baby girl's birthday."

I didn't even realize what I was doing until it was too late, not that I would have stopped anyway. I threw her back down and reached into my back pocket, pulling out a shiny, bronze handled switch. Flicking it open, I held it to her neck. "How the hell did she find out about that?"

Feeling a pair of arms lifting me up, I began struggling. There was no way in hell that I was leaving without finding out everything she knew.

"Doesn't matter slut," she called as she sat up. "But don't worry, I'm not gonna tell. I'll leave all that work to the cops. And when they take you away to where you belong, I'll have my man back."

I was set down pretty hard and thrown forward. "Soda, take her to the lot. I'll be there in a couple minutes." I tried to spin back around, but Soda grabbed my shoulders tightly.

"Come on, we've got some talking to do before Steve's done." He lightly pushed me in front of him, guiding me the entire way to the lot, where he sat me down on the old seat.

"So, mine telling me how you got this?" He pulled out my switch from his pocket and tossed it to me. I just stared at it, not being about to look up at him.

Soda sighed and sat down next to me. "Come on Jamie, I love you just as much as Dally and Two-Bit do. Don't you think I have a right to know?"

"I lifted it."

"What?"

"I lifted it."

"Why?"

"I was scared; after Johnny got jumped, I felt like I had nothing to protect me."

"So you decided to go ahead and steal something instead of talking to us? I thought that's what being a family was about: protecting each other. What, did you think that I wasn't going to listen to you? Wasn't going to help you?"

"That's just it Soda, I wasn't thinking." I lay against the back of the seat and closed my eyes. "It's just that after seeing Johnny, It brought back so many memories from my childhood."

"Jamie, while I do understand where you're coming from, how can I trust you when you don't fill me in on these things?

"I could ask you the same thing." Steve said, stopping in front of Soda and looking down at him. "You don't have to worry Soda, I'll have her back safe in no time."

"I know you will. Take all the time you need to talk, I'll tell everyone what's going on. _Everything_ that's going on." Steve nodded and Soda stood up and made his way back to his house. As soon as Sodapop was out of sight, Steve turned to me, scowling slightly.

"What the hell were you thinking Jamie? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I think 'killed' is over exaggerating a bit."

"You think so? Hate to brake it to you Sweetheart, but Evie's not stupid when it comes to fights. She could have easily taken your blade and stuck you with it."

"Even if that's true-"

"Which it is." I shot a menacing glare at Steve for interrupting me.

"Even if it is, the point I'm trying to make is that she didn't. She wants me alive so that I can suffer; she's not going to go killing me with my switch. That would ruin her fun…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" The venom in his voice was fading, but it didn't completely leave.

"She wants me to see with my own eyes that that you and her belong together. She wants my heart to break Steve, she wants you, and in the end, she might just get you." I turned my head, feeling tears start to build up. 'I will not cry in front him, not now. And to think, he doesn't even know yet'.

"Jamie, you gotta trust me when I saw that I'm never going to get back together with her; we're done." The seat shifted a bit as he sat down next to me, turning me to face him. "Babe, you know me well enough to know that I'm not going back. But what I want to know is what the hell she was talking about when she mentioned you and Shepard." He was trying to remain calm, but I could hear his slightly raised tone.

"Remember that day, a while back, when I just kind of walked out of the house and Dally went ballistic?" He nodded. "Well, I hid out at Shepard's and I was talking with Curly upstairs. Then Dally came and was saying stuff, and I started crying. That's probably what her source heard, but I'm guessing that she's just trying to get you mad."

"Yeah, probably. But it didn't work because I know you wouldn't do something like that." He started to lean forward, but I pushed him back. "Jamie, wha-?"

"I can't say the same for you Steve."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not deaf Steve! I heard what she said about you and her! What, you didn't think I wouldn't have eventually found out about what you two did?" I stood up, turning to face him. I was closer to crying now, but I refused to let my tears fall. "A month Steve; you did it after one fucking month! How could you have been ready for something like that? How could you have been so stupid?" Feeling a single tear run down my face, I turned away from him and started walking.

"Jamie!" he called out. A moment later, I was turned around; he gripped my arms to keep me from moving. Despite how much I wanted to just look into his eyes, I couldn't bring myself to do it. But it apparently wasn't my choice. He gently turned my face until I was looking at him.

"Jamie, that was a long time ago. Way before you even came. Hell, I really wasn't thinking. Just got caught up in it all, I guess. But hey, that was one time. We weren't the same after that. Listen to me, I wouldn't do that with you; I would wait."

"Bull," I whispered, breaking eye contact with him.

"Hey, I've changed since then. Believe it or not, I have matured a bit. And it's all because of you. Jamie, I'll wait for you." He turned my head back to him and wiped the tears away from my face.

Looking into his eyes, I knew that he was telling the truth. He cupped my face with his hands and started to lean in. This time, I didn't stop him. As soon as our lips touched, I felt all of my sorrow and anger melt away. I slipped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Just as I was about to run out of air, he pulled back.

"You ready to go back now?" he asked. I nodded and we began walking. I felt his arm slip around me and I put my arm around his waist, deciding last second to slip it into his back pocket instead, like I had seen so many couples do before.

As soon as we walked through the front door, all eyes turned to me. Well, they could have been looking at Steve too, but I had a feeling that I was the center of attention at the moment.

"So, everything good now?" Darry asked, standing up from his chair.

"Yep, sure is." I said light-heartedly. But somehow, I don't think it did any good. Soda and Darry were staring at me, looks of disappointment on their faces. Pony and Johnny were talking quietly to themselves and Two-Bit refused to look at me. Dally, on the other hand, was smirking.

"See you came and joined the dark side," he said. It took me a minute to figure out what the hell he was talking about. Then it hit me: Soda already told them.

"Yeah, so?" I shrugged. Just as I was about to sit down next to Steve on the couch, he pulled me on top of him, wrapping his arms around my waist and putting his head on my shoulder.

"So?" Darry asked, getting up from his chair. "So? What the hell were you thinking Jamie?" I didn't bother answering him, no sense in repeating what he already knew.

"Hey, come on Darrel, leave the kid alone. It's not like she killed somebody," Dally said, still smirking. I felt the color drain from my face. _Kill somebody…?_ They must have all noticed my pale complexion because Darry's voice became softer.

"Jamie, I don't want you to get involved with this sort of stuff. If I hear about something like this again, I'll skin you, understand?" I nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Well, at least that was over with. "Hey, you feeling ok? You don't look so great." Darry said, feeling my forehead with the back of his hand. "Well, you don't have a fever. But I think you should stay home anyway."

"What do you mean by 'stay home anyway'?"

"Well, we were all going to go down to the lot for a game of football, but now…"

"Don't worry Darry," Steve said moving me off him and standing up. "I'll stay with her, and besides, the teams will be even then."

"I don't know Steve, I mean, you two are going out and all." Steve walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. I couldn't tell what he said. "Ok then, you just make sure that she doesn't leave or anything, got it?"

"Sure Darry, I'll keep her on lockdown."

"Ok guys, let's head on over and play. I'll start dinner when we get back.' Everybody but us got up and headed for the door. Two-Bit just walked past me, didn't even look at me. Oh well, I guess I'd have to talk to him later. Dally walked up to me as Soda went over to Steve.

"You feeling ok kid?" he asked me, feeling my face.

"Yeah Dal, I'm fine."

"Good. Always knew you were a strong one Jamie." He ruffled my hair and walked out the door with Soda in tow.

"So, what did Soda say to you?" I asked Steve as he sat down next to me. He just shook his head.

"Nothing you need to worry about Jamie. I'm gonna go get a drink, you want something?"

"Naw," I said, stretching myself out on the couch as he stood up. "I'm good." He chuckled slightly and walked into the kitchen. He came back in a moment later with a beer in his hand. "Beer?" I asked, making a face.

Laughing he walked over to me held it out. "Have you ever even tried it before?" I shook my head. "Here, try it, live a little." I took it hesitantly, and took a tiny sip. I knew I wouldn't like it. I could tell just by the smell. Steve started laughing as a made a face at the bitter taste.

"That's disgusting" I said, gladly handing it back to him.

"I guess it's an acquired taste" he said, finishing off the can.

"Must be." Steve set the can down and sat on the edge of the couch, looking over at me.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Oh really? Somehow, I have the feeling that that isn't the case."

"Ha, well since you can read me so well, then you should be able to tell what I'm thinking."

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what's running through your head at the moment." I said, crossing my legs.

"And what would that be?" He asked, smirking widely at me.

"Eh, I don't think you're worthy enough for me to tell you." I smirked right back at him and stuck my tongue out to let him know that I was kidding.

"Well I guess I'll just have to prove myself to you then." He shifted and leaned forward, coming within mere inches of my face. "But just some words of advice, you might wanna keep that tongue of yours to yourself there."

"Now, why would you say something like that, o great and powerful one?" I could barely keep myself from laughing: Steve, the great and powerful one? Ha. That'll be the day.

"Because you don't know what kind of trouble it might get you into. And I'm telling you right now, my little trouble magnet, once you get into trouble, you're never gonna wanna get out."

"Oh really? Prove it." I knew exactly what he was referring to by "trouble", but I just wanted to see how far I could push him. Besides, I wanted to see his face when I did get out of it.

~*~*~

He closed the remaining inches between us and pressed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lowered me back into the couch, one hand on my back, the other supporting our weight. Once we could go no further, he increased the pressure, pressing me into the cushions. I could feel him holding back a little, not putting everything he had into it, probably because of where we were: on Darry's couch, where the guys could come back any second and see us. But that was half the fun, wasn't it?

Slowly, I wrapped my legs around his and stuck my hands just a little up the back of his shirt. Now it was still pretty cold outside, which meant that my hands were chilly pretty much all the time, including now. As soon as my hands touched his bare skin, I felt him take in a sharp breath and stiffen a little. I couldn't help but snicker a bit and wonder what the boy wonder was going to do next. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long to find out. Within seconds, he regained his composure and let his barrier fall. He pressed me back into the couch, and ran his tongue along my bottom lip as his pulled it a little with his teeth. I gasped slight, his actions taking me slightly by surprise. He took that opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth, running it over my own, already planning on having dominance. Well, I was a Winston, and I wasn't jut going to let him take it without a second thought.

So I went to work on weakening his ego, hoping to gain the advantage, if just for a second. My tongue battled with his, but I still struggled for dominance. As a final attempt at victory, I ever so slightly bit his tongue and let my own trace over his. I could feel his surprise radiating off of him, and I smirked when he pulled away suddenly.

"What? Couldn't handle the competition?" I was on the verge of letting out a laugh, because I knew that I had gotten to him.

"You wish, but a man does have to breathe you know. I was just coming up for air."

"Uh huh, sure. Just keep telling yourself that Stevie. But we both know the truth."

"Oh, I'll show you the truth Jamie. And I can guarantee you, you're gonna get a dose of your own medicine."

Before I could reply, he sprang back into action, catching me off guard. His mouth dove straight for my neck, and I shuddered at the sudden contact. I could practically feel him smirking as he kissed around a bit, searching for a place I hoped he wouldn't find. But, as usual, what I want doesn't matter. I couldn't help it, I let out a small moan and his lips traced over an area between my ear and my jaw line.

"So…still confident…that I'm…powerless….against you?" he murmured between kisses, focusing all of his attention on that one spot. I would have retorted, but my mind went blank as soon as I felt his teeth nip that spot. I felt myself pushing my hands higher up his back as he began sucking, lightly at first, then harder, still keeping my skin between his teeth. My breathing became harder as I felt him mimic my own actions, sliding his hands up my sides, making my shirt ride up with them. I could feel my resolve slipping away each passing moment, and I knew that I would never prove my point if I didn't do something soon.

As my last attempt, I pressed myself up against him as I took his ear in my mouth. Now normally, I would never have done that, on any occasion. But this wasn't any normal occasion and I needed to prove my point before he completely unhinged me. His teeth loosened their grip on me and the sucking stopped almost immediately as I continued. I pushed my cool hands even farther up his back and inwardly chuckled to myself, knowing that I had achieved what I had wanted: to show him that I have more power over him than he thinks. Tracing what slight nails I had down his back, I felt him shudder. But as I traced my tongue along the rim of his ear and pressed up against him again, I heard him let out the tiniest groan a human can possibly make – but it was loud enough for me to hear it.

I traced my nails down his back again, making him shudder a second time. His hands tightly gripped my sides as I continued to tease him, continuing everything that I was doing. Just then, I felt some of his dominant male side come back. He suddenly bit down, fairly hard I might add, on my neck again, sucking on it for everything it was worth, lapping at it with his tongue. He pressed himself down on me, shoving his hands farther up my back, and twisting his legs so that his were now wrapped around mine, instead of the other way around. I moaned again, louder this time.

"Steve…" I gasped, arching into his touch. He smirked, yet again, into my skin, increasing his power ten fold. I dug my nails into his back, hoping that time would just stop and we could be in this moment forever. But, of course, like I said before, what I want doesn't matter.

~*~*~

Just as I felt his hands take hold of my shirt and start to lift it up, the ring of six male laughs floated through the air. His lips and teeth immediately broke contact with my neck and we looked at each other with wide eyes. It took all of about 2 seconds to start untangling ourselves and trying to get ourselves presentable. As soon as I was free of him, I literally ran to the bathroom, and as I was closing the door, I saw Steve launch himself in front of the hallway mirror and whip out his comb. Typical.

As I stood there, attempting to regain my composure, I heard the guys pile in through the front door. They all were laughing and yelling – among all of the racket, I managed to hear Steve yell/complain about Soda messing up his just fixed hair. Well, at least he now had a reason, that the guys could see, to be standing there fixing his hair.

I took this moment to look myself over in the mirror. I really didn't look too bad except for 2 things: my face was ubber flushed (that could easily be taken care of) and there was a huge hickey on my neck (not so easily taken care of). Growling in frustration, I flushed the toilet (to make it all seem legit.) and turned on the cold tap; I splashed my face with the cool water, letting it return my face to its normal temperature. After I finished with all of that, I realized that I had to think fast. My cover up was in my room, and I was here: not a very convenient situation for me. So I decided to rely on one of my friend's very existence.

I opened the door a crack, just enough for me too see though. "Johnny! Can you come here a sec please?" I was surprised that he actually heard me over the fuss, considering I really didn't yell all that loud, but I was thankful nonetheless.

"Yeah Jamie?"

"Could you do me a huge favor and run into my room and grab my pink makeup bag from in my closet? I see the beginning of a pimple and I wanna cover it up before it gets too bad."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thank you soo much Johnny. I totally owe you one." He just smiled at me as he walked away. I closed the door again, breathing a sigh of relief. I could still hear the guys goofing off in the living room and Darry in the kitchen getting dinner started. Then there was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw the face of my savior. "Seriously, Johnny, you're the best. I definitely owe you."

"Yeah, I know, and you do. But I don't mind too much, since it keeps you alive from Dally and all." I looked at him mortified, feeling the blood rushing to my face once again. So much for the water fix.

"How do you know about that?" I hissed, peeking through the door, glancing between him and the rest of the gang, then back.

"Honestly Jamie, it ain't that hard not to notice. 'Sides, had a feeling it was gonna happen anyway."

"Do you think any of the other guys are as undeniably smart as you are?" I asked, praying that he would give me a good answer.

"'Sides me 'an Pony, 'an maybe Soda, I don' think so."

"Good, now get on back over there before they think something's up. I'll be out in a sec."

"Kay, just make it quick 'cuz they're all starting to look over here." I closed the door real quick and slid in front of the mirror. Taking the cover up out, I put it on , applying a few layers before I was satisfied with the results, or lack or results depending on how you look at it.

I gave myself one more glance over before I walked out of the bathroom, heading staright for my own room.

"Hey Jamie, where you goin' there? The party's over here," Two-Bit hollored, waving me over.

"Just gotta put my bag back in my room, be right there." I threw it into my closet and walked back out, hoping that I put enough cover up on to hide my love bite.

"So, what did you and 'ole Stevie do while we were out freezing our asses off playing football?" Soda asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well Soda, not to dampen your sprirts any, but all we really did was watch some TV for a while. When we got bored with that, there was nothing really good on anyway, we thought about maybe starting dinner for Darry, but we couldn't decide on what to make, so we passed on that idea. Then we played a few hands of poker (I prayed to God for the cards already lying on the table) and then I went to the bathroom and Steve did whatever he did. And now we're here. The end."

"Really? Sure Steve didn't give you any beer?" I felt my face grow hot, for like the umpteenth time.

"Beer? Come on Soda, you know I don't even like the smell of it, why would I even drink it?"

"Oh, I dunno, just thought that that's why you ran into a wall and hit the side of your neck. I mean, like at the size of that bruise, it's huge!" I gaped at Soda, wide-eyed and shocked beyond belief. I thought that he would be on our side when it came down to it, so why the hell was he turning on me now? I looked over at Steve, he looked just as surprised as I was, if not, more so. And then, one of the worst things that could possibly happen at that moment happened. It got quiet. Then Dally snickered.

"Ha, sounds like something you'd do Jamie. Walk into a wall – Ha."

"Shut up Dallas, it's not funny." I argued, glaring at him. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Two-Bit get up and start walking towards me." Relax Two-Bit, it ain't that bad, nothing major or anything. Just a bruise."

"I know, just wanna see how badly the wall beat you up, kid. After all, how do you lose to a piece of drywall?" I tried taking a step back, but Soda stepped behind me, preventing my escape. "Huh," Two-Bit said, lifting my chin so he could get a better look. "Looks like the wall did some damage there. Did you at least get a hit or two in, or did it just totally dominate you?" Steve let out a snort, causing me to glower at him.

"No," I said, frustrated. "I got a few hits in there. Actually, it was just pure luck that the wall won. I totally would have taken it if it didn't turn on me."

"Ha, you wish." Steve laughed, grinning. "You never stood a chance against it. It had you beat from the beginning."

"I'm sure you'd like to think so Steve. But truth is, you're just jealous because I would have totally won if I got the chance."

"Hey Jamie, you got some kind of smudge by your battle scar there." My hand flew up to the mark, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Stupid foundation for not doing its job and blending it right. "Here, let me get it for ya Jamie. You obviously can't see it and I can take care of it real easy." He grabbed my hand away before I could protest and rubbed it with his thumb." I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that I was just imagining my life about to end before me, and that I was completely helpless to prevent it. A few seconds later, I felt Two-Bit's thumb stop where it was. I opened my eyes to see Two-Bit eyes boring into me.

"Hey Two-Bit, you okay over there? Didn't get smudge germs did you?" Dally asked, smirking.

"No," Two-Bit said, lowering his hand. "But I think a rabies shot might do the trick."

"Why, the smudge bite you or something?"

"No, but I think that I got Steve germs on me. You know, Steve bites Jamie, I touch Jamie, I get Steve germs. Simple as that." I opened my eyes and sighed in defeat. Now there was nothing to do but wait – curse Two-Bit and his stupid good eye sight. I watched as Dally got up and walked over to where we were standing.

"What the hell are you talking about Two-Bit?" All he did was point at my neck. I glanced worriedly up at Dally, knowing that the worst was about to come. He stared at my neck for what seemed like forever before he finally exploded. "Jamie, why the fuck is there a fucking hickey on your fucking neck?!"


End file.
